Our Calendar
by Bleachigo15
Summary: Luffy and Ace live in a small apartment together. They write something everyday on their Calendar, to show their passed sibling that they're doing something worthwhile everyday, and living life to the fullest. One day, Ace catches an incurable diease...Luffy's heart cannot take it. But someone else does, just in time.
1. Playful

•**This story is inspired by the movie 3D2Y, which I had recently just watched. Every time that friggin moss haired piece of shit mentioned Luffy not being able to save his brother I wanted to punch him in his ugly face. That anger became sadness, then depression. So, this story was born.**•

— _The lake looked peaceful, stunning, beautiful. Nothing disturbed it. Grass swayed healthily from side to side surrounding it, its reflection on the untainted waters fresh and crisp. _—

**1\. Playful**

Quiet described that evening pretty well. It was the peaceful kind, the one you have right after a big meal, of when you're about to go to sleep, or when you're just _happy_\- happy and so content with life and everything goes your way.

Two hearts swell and one's mouth curl up into a mischievous smile. Eyes swirl around the room, waiting, watching, creeping. It is ok, nothing will happen, he will not get caught. Repeat this. Over and over again. It is okay. Nothing will happen. He will not get caught.

Reality is a bitch.

His younger brother pounces on him, spraying water all over his bare chest, the idiot giggling like he's lost it. The freckled faced man grips his own water gun in annoyance. What the hell. He thought nothing would happen, so what is this?

The neon orange and green gun catches the streams of sunlight from the window as he aims it at his younger, vest-wearing brother. He's got him now, nothing could ruin this moment. Cocking his chiseled face to the side and shutting an eye, the older brother shoots-

-and misses.

Loud laughter from right behind him throws his thought process into a frenzy. Since when?

Luffy, nothing short of a high cheetah at this point, beams. "You will never be able to get me, Ace!"

And it's the way he says his name so lovingly, the way he is so proud to escape his clutches, the way he smiles at him, that makes Ace lose it. The older tackles his brother, silently thanking all of the blessings he received to have such an unruly, pain in the ass, trouble-making brother. If he didn't have Luffy, his rock, who knows where the hell Ace would've end up now?

Dead?

The sunlight illuminates the two of them, brightens up the room, brightens up the walls, and the both of them are smiling, so happy, so happy. They hug fiercely on the floor, just glad they have each other, thankful that the world is for them, and that life's pretty good.

It's alright.

No matter what happens, it's gonna be alright.

The unspoken mantra lies between them, fills them up, makes them giggle all over again. But it's sweet, brotherhood is such a sweet, dear thing to the two of them, something they treasure so dearly ever since they lost their other sibling to the plane crash that faithful day. Ever since, the two always are close, protecting each other, loving each other, fighting each other, playing with each other. And for Luffy and Ace, there's not one damn thing the world can throw at them to end that because, you know, they have each other. They would get though it.

Luffy laughs only his laugh, his distinct laugh, and stands. Ace sighs contently, because he knows that even if he was half-deaf and in a concert, he would still be able to find and distinguish Luffy's laugh. "I have to write a paper," the wide eyed teen says suddenly, a small smile still tugging at his lips.

Ace shrugs and stands, streches, watches the leaves through the window. "And?"

"I don't wanna do it."

"Luffy, dammit, you have to."

And then a pout face. Whining. "Why?"

A hard, pointed glare. Both know it's fake, but still. "It's for your education, essay writing, I did it in high school, so you should too."

One stomp. Puffed cheeks. Balled fists. "But, Ace, you work as a part time firefighter-"

A long, exhausted sigh. A rolling of the eyes. One hand hand in a muscled hip, the other gesturing to absolutely nothing. "Listen here, Luffy."

The younger bounces on his toes, energetic. Oh, he is going to listen so hard! He'll show Ace that he can listen! Straining his ears and turning to the side, Luffy looks up at his beloved brother with determined eyes.

No further sound comes from his brother, and he looks down to see a collapsed Ace, having fallen asleep on the floor. He smiles, a real, big, genuine smile, one that makes your gums show. Luffy loves this. He loves his brother so much, he takes up such a big chunk of his heart, his brother. Ace is like his air, water, gravity, sun, fuck, you name it, Ace is it, and without him, Luffy is nothing. He wouldn't even be in school right now. He'd probably be drunk on the side of the road, as one of society's failed experiments, laying around as exhibit for all those who were well off. He would be what mothers would point to their children and warn them what not to be in life. Education is key. Knowledge is key. Get some, grow up, earn money, die. This was how the world worked. This was what adults told him. Hell, what Ace told him that Dadan told him. After they'd moved away, into a more respectable neighborhood and area, Ace and he started the road to respectable human beings.

Oh, but it wasn't easy. Dammit all to hell, it wasn't easy.

Ace was the one who got him enrolled into Grand Line High School, now ages ago, as a freshman, while he a senior. It has been years since then, three of them. Three years with him and Ace and Ace and him and it was delightful, fulfilling, loving.

Now, Luffy was a senior in high school, and Ace in his third year of college. He goes to this pristine one, one you can only get into if you get a scholarship, the tuition is so high. It's called New World College. Ace set the bar high up for him. Now it was almost time for Luffy to reach it.

February 27th.

It was the end of the month and one month closer to the end of the year, and yet another month closer to college, the same as his brother's. Luffy looks at the sleep deprived eyes of the older. Regardless of how much sleep he gets during the day, it is never enough, he can tell, from all the bags under his eyes and the way he carries himself everyday after school.

He notices.

Ace doesn't think Luffy does, but it's true.

And he notices it the most right now, at the peak, as Ace sleeps in front of him. Tiredness seemed to crash over him like waves, ramming onto him over and over again. Sympathetic, Luffy effortlessly picks him up and carries him to Ace's bedroom. He knows Ace will wake up happy and thankful. Luffy would laugh proudly, and serve him breakfast in bed. That's not a bad idea, Luffy muses, until he absentmindedly bumped Ace's bed on the doorframe, which elicits a grunt from sleeping man.

Screaming apologies internally, Luffy then proceeds to set down his brother on the small bed that his part time job can afford. Covers him up. Makes sure his Fire Fruit light light is turned on, Ace claims he can never sleep peacefully with it off, and exits. Closes the door behind him. Walks away. Explores their apartment.

White, white, white everywhere. Literally nothing but white walls and white floors and white ceilings and white fans and everything is so void of color and Luffy hates it so much. He keeps it to himself though, because it's Ace who puts this roof over his head, and it's Ace who shelters him, and it's Ace who puts food on the table, and it's Ace who insists that Luffy focus on his studies instead of getting a job right now, because education, education, education.

Luffy wanders around the small place he, despite his dislike towards the decor, is proud to call home. Because Ace calls it home, and he shares it with Ace. That is good enough for him. A small kitchen, a bathroom, two bedrooms, a living room connected to the kitchen. Two hallways, one to the jointed kitchen and living room from the door, and the other to the bedrooms. The pale color is everywhere.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Somehow he ends up outside, and somehow he's walking, walking away from his home and Ace and into the windy sunlight.

And the breeze feels too good.

It's warm, a sharp contrast to the bitter cold they experienced yesterday. It's time to mark the Calendar again. Maybe he'll write something about the weather, or maybe something better is to come. Luffy almost turns back, but continues on. He will have something good to tell Ace when he wakes up. The wind picks up speed, pushing him, struggling against his small frame, but Luffy holds firm, holding his arms up in defense. It's okay. No matter what happens, he'll be okay, they'll be okay.

It's alright.

When Luffy gets home it is almost dark, and he makes this grave mistake by encountering the clown, the weird boots in the stalls, the lady who sold purple lemonade, the man in the store with three ears and a golden nose ring, the dog who stood upward like a human, the colorful Sakura blossoms which enchanted his way back home. Too many things distracted the boy, he knew, but it wasn't like Luffy couldn't help it. That's just how he is.

His brother was not inside the house, Luffy could tell. The telltale signs of burning bush and smoke emitting from behind catches his attention pretty quickly, and the young, innocent face of the young adult morphs into one of horror. His constant, steady gait turns into a jog. Then a run, dash, sprint, and ending with a jump into his house. He scrambled to the back door and opened it, only to see Ace breathing breathily, his back to him, covered in sweat, with five lit pieces of wood in one hand and a match in the other.

Luffy widened his eyes. His brother was pissed.

The entire backyard was in flames, which were obviously drunk on oxygen, as they soared high into the sky, crackling and waltzing. Smacking his forehead sadly, Luffy simply grabbed the hose nearby, already plugged in, always ready to go, because Ace had this tendency, just to set things aflame, when Luffy was out of his sights for too long, and he should've known this before he left.

All he wanted was a walk.

Sighing, the younger brother hoses down the flames as if it's the most normal thing in the world. Battling the phenomenon, winning, losing, losing again, and then winning. Ace just watches him with a dazed look in his worried, oh so very worried, eyes. "Is that you Luffy?"

Out of the corner of his bight coal orbs, the younger brother can make out the older's figure against the smoke. "Yeah."

"You're alive, right?"

"More than ever."

"No one had kidnapped you?"

"Pretty sure."

A tension in his shoulders released. "Good, good, that's good..."

The irony between Ace's job and his...hobbies...always gets Luffy in a laughing fit.

Even he had to admit it, just how weird his brother was sometimes. He thinks one of his college friends...Marco, maybe?..calls it a brother complex. Whether it be an innocent worry or a 'disgusting, twisted worry that needs to be shut down and arrested immediately', according to Marco, anyway, it was a pleasant feeling to know his brother fussed over him. Cared for him. Fretted because of him. A smile graces Luffy's lips as he finalizes the fire dousing. Slowly, carefully, he eases the lighted sticks from the muscled, older man, rebuking from him the power to cause more damage. Luffy quietly laughs his laugh, the one that Ace loves, and touches Ace's shoulder silently. The wavy haired brother understands the movement and walks inside. They would need to update the Calendar, it couldn't miss this.

Ever since their other brother died, Ace and Luffy had kept a Calendar on their walls, it was the first thing you would see if you were to walk inside of their apartment. The Calendar was something that they could both write on to talk about their day on each of the dates, something where they could remember what they had done or accomplished or seen or how they were feeling that certain day. They would update it daily, always, because they wanted to live life, everyday, to the fullest. Getting an education is, obviously, a part of that, but also these small, daily things are too. That's why Ace is so adamant to get such a good education- to be something.

There was never a day they forgot to update it. It's in their blood, wired in their brain, an automatic movement.

Grabbing the pen that was always near the Calendar, Ace grins as he writes:

_Got worried about the idiot. Set a few trees on fire._

Smiling at the sloppy handwriting, only Ace's, Luffy takes the pen from him and writes:

_Saw the marketplace today. Went out for a bit too long._

He finishes with an arrow pointing from the last sentence to Ace's writing.

It is almost seven o' clock.

Luffy is starving.

Ace goes to work making dinner, because it's his day. He grabs two twenty pound packages of meat from the fridge and stars to cook it, pushing away the star-eyed teen when his eyes caught a hold of it.

Heat, stir, spice, spice, spice, stir, heat. Finish. Just how his brother loved it, just how he loved it.

They ate hungrily, with Luffy telling Ace of the many wonders he saw on his outing today.

And the house, though small and plain and white, was full of laughter. It was Feburary 27th, a Sunday, which meant school for the both of them tomorrow. Ace's grades were well off the charts, and Luffy's were, well, getting there- although his were exceptional as well. Not Ace good, but pretty well.

After dinner, Ace went to sleep, and Luffy worked on his essay, reluctantly. Ace didn't know he was, he wanted the older to be proud in the morning. So he worked. Worked pretty damn hard, losing about four hours of sleep. It was about two in the morning when the black haired teen finally laid his head on the soft, simple, white pillow.

Today was school.

The building of Grand Line High was pretty big, spanning over four stories high and about, what, half a mile long? The school had major funding, Luffy could tell. Prestigious, that's what Ace called it.

Ace dropped Luffy off on the days he didn't feel like shit, and Luffy dropped Ace off when he didn't feel like shit, it was a fair trade.

Luffy hugged his brother, a big bear hug, because he was going to miss him during the seven hours of hell he had to endure here. But it was alright because he would see him again after seven hours afterwards. Ace drove off, and Luffy sent him with a smile.

People thought he was gay.

But he didn't give two flying fucks.

They are irrelevant, everyone here is.

It doesn't matter because he has Ace and nothing can stop him from feeling like a boss, the superior, when he enters the school.

Luffy came a bit too late, it was two minutes until his first class.

It's like a fucking infestation of human arms and legs and heads and people, and there's so many that it makes Luffy's head spin, and he must go into a nearby restroom for comfort. But, of course, every freaking stall is taken, and about twenty people crowd around the urinals, and the air reeks of smoke and of pee.

Suffocating, Luffy exits.

Then he starts to choke.

It's only one minute until the bell. People are more frenzied then ever before, even if there are less of them. Luffy almost turns violent at the ridiculous amount of people pushing and shoving him. He raises his fist.

Ace.

The look of pure disappointment and sadness he would give him right then, it would break Luffy's heart. An education, and education, get one, get one here! Ace did, it was Luffy's turn, go out, make yourself something. The younger brother calms himself, takes a deep breath. Closes his eyes.

It was okay.

It was alright.

No matter what would happen, he would be okay.

They would be okay.

The bell rings.

Students disappear.

Silence.

Luffy smiles, walking towards his locker. Finally.

Peace.

•**Hope you liked the first chapter! Look out for chapter 2!**•


	2. Missing

**•Hey guys! I really enjoy writing this story, and it has a long way to go, but I know you'll like it! For those waiting for Lawlu, please be patient, since I will need some buildup before I introduce him. Please enjoy the romance along the way ;) Anyway, won't keep you long, here's ch 2!•**

_—The clear, crystal lake sparkles in the bright rays of the sun. In the vast, lush, green forest that surrounds it, life chirps and barks and squeaks happily. The grass swishes and sways. From the sky, a single drop of rain falls, creating a ripple in the tranquil.—_

**2\. Missing**

Three days have passed.

It is March 1st. A Wednesday.

Luffy is at school, chin resting on his palm, elbows on table. Although it may not seem like it to his classmates, he listens intently at the lecture of his least favorite teacher, Mr. Smoker, who teaches art. It's weird, how the man got involved in the elective, as no one knew exactly how this came to be. But all of the students knew that he hated his job, and hated it with a strong, bright, burning passion. Maybe for the money he stayed, or maybe to get the joy out of assigning the students with difficult projects every other day, who knew? Because Luffy sure as hell didn't.

All of the classrooms didn't have desks and chairs for seats, oh no, the school has too many funds to spend for such low quality trash. Instead, Grand Line High School invested in large stairs for every classroom, and each row having a large, wide, smooth wooden table for students to work at, with benches behind these. There were cases of stairs in the middle and on either side of these new 'desks'. About three could sit in each. Luffy, wanting to be as far as possible from the teacher in front of him, sits at the highest row in the back.

Smoker did not care that the boy didn't seem to be paying attention, and would probably give him another C for whatever crap project the boy had to turn in. He droned on and on, knowing he was simply milking the subject for all its worth at the point, but he didn't care because it would end in a project. A big one. The white haired instructor would assign it right before spring break, one due the Monday they came back. He turns his back on the few students to smile as he drew an example on the whiteboard.

It was his last hour, the final class before freedom and Ace, and it took everything in his being to adequately listen to the long, boring lecture about shading and lighting. Soon, against Luffy's will, his eyes started to roll around the small class, taking in everyone's features as best he could from his lonesome seat in the top right corner.

There was a green haired man, one with a tense back and square, built shoulders. He was intently looking at a book about swords five rows down and on the left side. Black orbs switch to another. A black haired woman with wide, shining eyes and a pale face was staring at him with a light blush on her face from three rows down. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Another female with dark blue hair, styled in a top knot, her large eyes framed with red rimmed glasses, was listening intently at the teacher's dronings. She was the only student in the class, and, mostly likely school, that Mr. Smoker honestly liked. Refraining from a loud snort as she jots down notes in the front of the classroom on the left, his wide eyes move yet again. Some man with large, curly locks and skinny, long limbs sat two rows down, staring at some magazine and holding a bloody tissue to his nose. Crinkling his nose in disgust, Luffy looks away to the final female in the classroom. Long, obsidian colored haired and reserved, tall and pale, this teen was the only one Luffy didn't mind being there. Her wise, dark blue eyes and small smiles told everyone that she was much more mature than she looked. She only half listened to the words gushing out of their teacher's mouth like a roaring river, instead focusing her attention on some strange notebook in front of her. She sat near no one in particular, and occupied the seat directly opposite of Luffy— the one at the top left.

She didn't bother him, so he didn't bother her.

The school day had been long and boring, completely devoid of anything interesting or exciting. It was excruciatingly dull, the kind of school day that as soon as Luffy walks into school, he wants to walk out. His only motivation was Ace. And he was going to see him again, very soon.

It was enough to drive him insane. Just when Luffy was about to snap, pull his teeth out, and try a hand at igniting desks as his brother would've done, the bell rang. That sweet, joyous sound that ringed throughout the school that screamed _free at last_, and made Luffy jump from his seat, his eyes, once dead, now alive.

Ace! He finally, finally, _finally_ gets to see Ace!

He runs out the classroom before everyone else, as he does everyday, but no one pays attention to the rushing teen. Inside of the hallway is a mess, boisterous teens crowding everywhere, pushing and shoving to get to their lockers, but it was okay.

It was alright.

He'd be okay.

They'd be alright.

And it was when Luffy finally reached his locker in the second floor that he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He would finally see his brother! It was only seven hours, but he missed the freckled older.

Ace was his sunlight, illuminating his dark world. This crap school, the crap students, the crap teachers, the crap rooms, the crap studies, the everything— in comparison to his brother they were little to nothing. The only reason they were given even an iota of thought in his world was due to the dedication Ace gave to his education. Gritting his teeth, the dark haired senior closes his locker forcefully. It was like education meant nothing to him, he realized. Luffy didn't really care about what he was to become. It was Ace who did, and because he loved his brother, he would live up to his expectations as best he could.

He wanted him to be happy.

If getting an education would accomplish the feat, then he would get one, no questions asked.

So why was he doubting himself?

Soon, the feeling of anger and doubtfulness left him, and with every step to the stairs, to the exit, his heart beat louder. His steps, lighter. His eyes, wider. His hands, shaking from joy. Clenched hands grip his backpack painfully.

Ace.

Ace.

Ace!

Joining the crowd which walked briskly towards the parking lot, Luffy breaks into a wide smile. Bright yellow blinds him and he finally leaves the darkness behind, stepping into the light, towards Ace. He would be standing near the bottom of the steps, to the left, where the girls would droll as they walked by, some even taking pictures. Grinning at them, winking sometimes. Where he would grip the hat he wore sometimes, or nervously run a hand through his hair at the massive crowd. Where he would either be leaning on the column, searching for me, or his eyes looking far into the distance. He would be there—

He is not.

It was as if time slowed down and ceased to be. The speed of the students reduced to none, and it was only Luffy and the empty space, devoid of his brother. Everyone else was blacked out, unseeable, untouchable, irrelevant, undeniably insignificant against the absence of his older brother. His eyes were wide and confused. Ace had never, ever, _ever_ missed coming to pick him up. He had it infused into Luffy that being late was inexcusable, something not accepted in today's society. To be late means to fail.

And here Ace was, not here. His heart raced, and something crashed into him from behind, causing him to fall down the busy stairs. Immediately he stood, coal eyes flashing angrily, looking left and right from the culprit. It was useless, for the gush of students made it impossible to locate one of the hundreds. Grunting as he got himself together, the teen rushed to the side to avoid being trampled over, and told himself over and over to regather his thoughts.

His brother wasn't here. That fact alone set off alarm bells in his head. Fighting the urge to call the police, the teen's eyes moved to the usual spot Ace always managed to get, the one to the far left of the parking lot. Widening his eyes, Luffy gulped.

It wasn't his car.

Ace wasn't even here.

Shakily, Luffy tried one last resort— searching the large parking lot. Worried and hurried eyes searched the parking lot carefully, picking his way through the streams of moving cars and people. Nothing, nothing, nothing. He wasn't at the bottom of the stairs, he wasn't his spot, he wasn't in the parking lot.

There would be a lot to update his Calendar on today.

Backing up fearfully, the dazed teen takes off in a dead sprint to New World College. Surely, Ace was there at least. It would make no sense for him no to be anywhere else besides home. Cursing at the wetness on his cheeks, Luffy flew past cars and people to get to the designated building about ten minutes away.

—•—

"Ace?" asked the blonde incredulously.

Luffy had searched the school top to bottom, its hidden hallways and doors stalling the worried for another ten minutes. He honestly thought of simply giving up and leaving to search his home when he finally got sight of his brother's closest friend in the library.

Smiling in relief, the black haired asked Marco for information regarding the location of his brother, as it was practically his job to ensure Ace didn't "accidentally" light something he found frustrating. Luffy was grateful. Now however, was a completely different situation, one the teen prays never happens again in his lifetime.

Glancing at the hopeful ball of sunshine, the man sighs. "The man didn't even come to school today. I honestly have no idea where he is, he never left a text."

The face Luffy made the blonde very, very nervous. Scratching the back of his head cautiously and shifting his narrow eyes to the aisle of books, the man continued. "What, has anything happened?"

Emotions swelled within the younger, threatening to tear him apart from the sheer intensity. His breath came out in small bursts of hot air, his eyes shadowed, his fists clenching and unclenching. Where is he? It wasn't a joke anymore, and if it is, it's some sick, twisted one that Luffy was sure not to forgive easily. It hurt, his heart, it yearned for the sight of his brother again. Seven simple hours turned into eight, and the darkness from school took over him again. Without responding, the teen turned on his heel and left the prying gaze of the taller man.

Marco watched the young man leave, exiting the library, and soon the school. He went to a nearby window to see his small frame running across the parking lot, undeniably in the direction of their apartment. A sorrowful countenance. A turn of the head and a nod to the shadows. "He's gone."

A sneeze, a cough, a wheeze. Sighing, the blonde comes over and grabs a tissue from one of the five boxes his companion kept near him. A sharp nod with his chin, and a blowed nose later, the ruined tissue was thrown aside. A broken, raspy voice comes from the weak man. "Thanks...Marco."

Folding his arms and meaning against the smooth wood of the bookcase, Marco tilts his head back and tightly closes his eyes. "Goodness, Ace. Why not go to your suffering brother?"

A shaky smile spreads across the pale face of the dark haired man. "What do you think Luffy's initial reaction would be if he saw me like this?"

Lost in thought, the blonde placed delicate fingers on his chin. "Well, he'd be devastated."

Grunting softly in agreement, the freckled man looks downward. He couldn't let Luffy get caught up in his mess. Ace would rather Luffy deem him missing than him knowing his elder brother was sick. That, more than the latter, would definitely send Luffy over the edge.

Ace coughs fiercely into a shaking fist, and just the smallest amount of blood is present as he does so. Cursing softly, the man sighs. He had messed around with the wrong crowd. He had just wanted to make some quick cash, to help support Luffy, for his education, for their house, for their food. It was scary, running out of money, and Ace did not want to let that happen, under any circumstances.

He had ended up in jail.

It happened so fast— one minute he was simply standing in a store, buying a few groceries, then the next, all the civilians within the store were on the floor, under the threat of a gun. Police swarmed around the small convince store, asking the captors their demands. The very people who asked him to buy the things were there. Covered in black. Waving guns around. Firing warning shots. Ace being the only one left alone, standing. The people on the floor, forced to remain silent, were begging him with their eyes to save them.

It all happened so _fast_.

The next thing he knew, windows were being crashed into, guns were going off, crowds screaming, police storming, and Ace was put in cuffs. One long ride to Impel Down Police Station and an hour later, Ace was fitted in a prison uniform and thrown in a cell with other ruffians, much bigger and buffer than he. There, he was given murderous, blood lusting glares, which Ace subtly ignored. He sat, alone, wishing to be kept to himself. Because he knew that if he got off on the wrong foot with these guys, it could mean trouble. At the worse, more jail time.

He couldn't do that to Luffy.

So he sat, wishing for his innocence to be proven, if it would ever be proven. Now that Ace thought about it, he was doubtful. He was later told the costly admission to freedom. $100,000 was the bail money. Either that, or 5 years. Wide eyes. Why? Apparently, the officer told him, one of his 'comrades' killed someone, resulting in death, the family had pressed serious charges. Cursing his bad luck, and sending his regards to the family, Ace walks away with a hand to his forehead, trying to reduce his quickly growing headache.

What would become of Luffy? Forget financially, what could his poor brother do physically? Without him by his side?

Ace couldn't stand the thought. Luffy, oh Luffy, the boy would be so lost without him. So afraid, alone. It brought tears to his eyes. How could such an incompetent brother like him leave his poor younger brother?

He cried silently, making sure his roommates couldn't hear, couldn't see, lest he get dragged into a brawl. He was helpless. Completely and utterly helpless. How did it come to this? He thought of Luffy, his face, his tears, his sadness, his happiness. It all depended on Ace, and vice versa. To think that he put himself in this stupid situation made the freckled man sick. His worries of Luffy kept him up, and he sat in a dark corner, thinking.

It was now about three in the afternoon, he could tell by the sunlight, and the man scowled. By now, he would've been at Grand Line High, waiting for his brother to see him so he could drive home. Instead, he sat in the stuffy room for hours on end, alone and afraid. What had become of his 'buddies', he had no clue. The pale man took a shuddering breath before the creaking of the cell door could be heard, and all of the prisoners looked up with nervous glee, some even running towards the gate. There stood a man which Ace had never seen before, with styled dark hair. Caramel skin was decorated with swirling, artistic tattoos, which creeped out from beneath his crisp, white dress shirt. He stood in dark slacks and similarly colored dress shoes. Ace raised an eyebrow at the formality before looking away. What was someone of such a caliber that he dressed up to visit a _jail_ doing here?

"Ace-ya, I presume?"

Stunned, Ace glance at the man again, who was looking in his direction with a blank expression. What did this stranger need with Ace? "I am he," came the response from Ace, standing up. His heart beat loudly against his chest. What was happening, what was happening, what was—

"You're free to go," says the stranger, nodding towards the door.

The prisoners went ballistic.

"Oi, oi, are you fucking kidding me?!"

"He just got here! What the hell, I've been here since '98!"

"Don't give me that bullshit. Like hell we're just gonna let him walk away!"

And the swarm attacked both him and the stranger, and it was like time slowed down, and everyone was still coming towards him, and that man who came for him moved so damn _fast_.

All of the prisoners were suddenly on the floor, cringing in agony, and Ace blinked, and the man was in front of him. Three seconds have passed.

"Come with me. You're free."

Not wanting to stay in the suddenly claustrophobic room any longer, the pale man followed his hero into the light.

The paperwork was done in a smooth five minutes, it's scary how fast and smoothly it went, nothing a good sweet talking could handle. Ace poured gratitude onto the humble adult, thanking him dearly and in abundance. As they exited the jail, Ace with a smile plastered on his face, and the tanned man with the same expressionless countenance, the wavy haired suddenly remembered something. "Oh, sorry, I don't think I caught your name, good sir."

The well dressed man contemplated for a bit before quietly responding. "Law." Turning on his heel, he says no more and quickly walks away.

Beaming, the freckled man waved at the serious male leaving his side. "I'll never forget this, Law! Honestly! Thank you!"

A hand went up, acknowledging the words, before he was out of sight forever. The reason for his bailing out, Ace never asked. He didn't really care. It was Luffy who he cared about. He couldn't wait to tell him about the crazy events he endured, so that they could add it to the Calendar. Just as he was on his way to Grand Line in a hurry, a shot rang out, hitting him straight in the chest. Doubling over, the wavy haired man grit his teeth at the intense, burning pain, coming so suddenly and blighting him. The pain then moved from his upper body to inside his chest, the burning bordering on unbearable and soon crossing it, and without a doubt, then, Ace realized.

He was going to die.

Frowning at his immense agony, the man decided against the going of to Luffy. There was no way in hell he would let his little brother see him in such a state. The only other option was his college, to see Marco, and maybe he'd know what to do about this. Walking hurt, breathing hurt, but thinking about Luffy hurt more, so he pushed on regardless. Thankfully, the school was not too far away, and he made it there in one piece. It was there where he meet Marco, who immediately got him sedated and settled in the far back of their school library, and the sickly had, somehow, managed to tell Marco his eventful day.

It scared Marco, honestly, his friend's condition and situation. He had Ace covered up in a light orange blanket, decorated with dots of its darker shade. The only thing visible was his face, which was undoubtedly pale, only the smallest of color on his cheeks due to his slowly rising temperature. Upon his dark locks laid a white rag, cold, to calm his fever. He had begged the school nurse for some Ibuprofen, which he then gave to Ace, hopefully to soothe some of the pain.

There was no way that his best friend was going to die. No possible way in heaven nor hell, nor in the stars, the ground, the planets, the galaxy. It was just not possible.

"Luffy would be very devastated," Ace agrees after a spell. "That's why I want to make..." Another round of hacking coughs. A deep set frown tugs at the ends of the blonde's lips. He could see where this was going.

"Ace." His voice broke, unable to contain his emotion. It took everything in his being to keep the tears from flowing.

Lowering his eyes, the sickly man quietly speaks. "I'm sorry that I just appeared out of the blue and told you my circumstances and asked you to lie to Luffy and I'm so _sorry_—"

He was silenced by a crushing hug from his friend, his soft hair tickling Ace's ear. "Damn you," Marco says, holding Ace fiercely, protectively. "Damn you to _hell_. When you didn't come to school today, do you know how worried I felt? When you finally appeared I was so happy, you have no idea. Idiot, do you think I'd be mad?"

Marco pulls back with a sigh and looks at the freckled man with tears in his eyes, his hands firmly holding his shoulders. "I'd notice the disease from anywhere. You've caught Akainu, the non-contagious disease that slowly burns your organs from the inside out. It's...its incurable, Ace. I want to help you. I don't know how, but I want to. If lying to your brother is how I can help, then I'll do it happily."

The blanket covering the man slides off, and Marco's shaking hand finds the warm man's. "Ace, you're the world to me. Whatever you need, don't worry, I'm here. I'll be with you, so please..." Golden strands of hair move forward as he bends his head onto the Ace's lap. He was losing it, his control on his emotions. It was killing him, that he could do nothing. All he could do were his last requests. It was so maddeningly frustrating, the fact that Marco was helpless. He promised not to cry, to keep his emotions in check, no matter what happens. It wasn't working, it wasn't working, it wasn't fucking working, and the tears were sliding down his face and nothing could stop the force of gravity, nor the force of his sadness.

"So please," Marco begins, his voice cracking, "_don't die_."

His shaking, heaving sobs fill the empty library, the tears he kept back over the past half hour finally becoming lose. It hurt. It was as if his heart was just done with the world upon learning the fated news of his comrade. His friend. His—

With tear stricken eyes and contorted features, the man raises his head slowly. "_I love you,_" he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't leave me alone."

Ace was speechless as Marco wept loudly onto his lap, releasing the frustration and grief he had pent up within him, the very sound of his heart breaking being released into the air. The sickly man closed his eyes tiredly as the blonde's melancholy wails reach him. He strokes the back of his daffodil colored head, trying his best to comfort him, knowing that whether he did or not was irrelevant. He couldn't stop the wheels of time, and his death was inevitable, and that it would be sooner rather than later, and he just wanted more time, but it was cruelly taken from him, and to think he was the one causing Marco's breakdown. It angered him, that he was helpless, every bit as the older, and that they both had to suffer because of Akainu, hindering not only the people around him, but himself and Luffy.

Aces dark eyes become glassy as another heart wrenching sob shook the man on his lap. The sounds are gut wrenching, and his stomach twists when Marco grabs onto his shirt tighter. Unable to stand the unhappiness in the air, he places a hand on the crying man's. Tilting his chin up, salty with tears, with the other, Ace looks deep into his eyes, raw with conflicting emotion. Tears flow down his own pale face. "I'm sorry," the dark haired adult whispers. Fresh tears emerge from the both of them. It was the sickly man who closed the distance between them, brushing their lips together in a bittersweet fashion, the soft kiss saying the things both left unsaid. It was short and sweet, the kind which one gave after a date, promising to see the other again soon.

Ace didn't have that kind of time.

Marco ignored the searing pain in his heart as he returned the kiss with fervor. He had been waiting, waiting so long for Ace to return his feelings. But now, the realization had come much too late, and it hurt to realize the undeniable fact. Only their lips touched, as they held each other passionately. Not only for love, but for support, for their own safety and sanity, in hopes they don't get lost in the whirlpool of emotions sucking them down into the deep abyss of depression.

After the short ten or so seconds, the two break apart, synchronizing in quiet breaths. A large smile spreads across Ace's face, his cheeks even redder, happiness in his eyes. "I've wanted to do that for such a long time," he admits sleepily. The bluntness of the statement causes surprise to flicker in the eyes of the older, and opens his mouth to agree, when he suddenly finds the freckled man asleep. Smiling, Marco begins to run his nimble fingers through the thick, wavy locks.

A moan, a groan. Turn right, turn left, stay. Furrowed eyebrows and a disgruntled sound. Discomfort written on his face.

Right, Marco thinks. His firelight. He had mentioned it to him once, how it had mysteriously turned up on his doorstep one day, and ever since, had used it to sleep at night. Without it, he couldn't sleep peacefully.

How was he to get it if Luffy was home? He did not want the younger brother to realize Ace was with him. Sighing, the blonde carried the sick man bridal style and, without another word, proceeded to carry the man towards his own home. He would go back to his light later, and maybe feed Luffy another lie. It would help Ace, right?

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Believe.

Ace was going to be alright, no matter what, all he had to do was believe.

Marco says that, yet curses himself for doubting.

**•That was the longest chapter I have ever written in my history of fanfiction, ever, and no, that's not the reason it took so long to update. It was writer's block and being a busy bee. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, bye lovelies!•**


	3. Brothers

**•Hey everyone! Ok, just to get this fact across, shinsplints SUCK. And headaches suck. You know those times when a teacher accidentally says one piece or law? Yeah. I scream. Oh, and Law and Luffy got to be alone in the ep, and first time Law has moved since forever...he's a cutie. Also, just a side note, here's Chapter 3.•**

_—The blue, cloudless sky above the lake began to darken, an angry black tainting the pure, azure color. The greenery surrounding the forest starts to wither slowly, starting with the first spring flower, its petals brown and twisted. In the lake, a single fish is seen on the surface, lifeless, under the second fallen raindrop.—_

**3\. Brothers**

Luffy was panicking, so very close to an all out breakdown.

It was scary. His brother was not in their apartment. He had looked in Ace's bedroom, the kitchen, his own bedroom, under the couch, and even in the oven, where he found the man sleeping once or twice. Gone. His brother was utterly and completely lost, and Luffy had no idea where he was.

With each passing second, his heart broke more, and the pain that came with that was tearing him apart.

Luffy collapsed in their small kitchen, steadying himself on the floor. The room was spinning, and the furniture was blending into each other. Confused, he blinks, and sees tears fall onto his fisted hands. With a shaking hand, he feebly touches the water. He was crying. The tears that showed his aching heart were finally making their appearance, and against the boy's will, they obey gravity, falling in shallow streams on his tanned face.

Luffy sniffles and gets up, the room suddenly not as bright anymore. He stumbles and makes his way over to the Calendar. Their Calendar. With a shaky hand, he grabs his trusty pen. The day was wearing thin, the skies already darkening, he could've sworn it was three o' clock ten minutes ago. He casts a weary glance at the digital clock on their small oven. It's eight.

Facing the paper before him, Luffy looks at today's date. It is still the first of March. Almost the second. But he didn't want to miss a day, no, that wouldn't be fair to Sabo. Closing his eyes, Luffy sighs and, gripping his pen tightly, begins to write:

_Ace is missing._

Three simple words, with the weight of the world strapped onto them. Luffy's heart couldn't take it. He wept again, wishing for the comfort of his brother, for his face, for his presence, but none of those were here now, and reality has thrown him into the streets, under the bus, where he slowly begins to die.

A quiet knock on the front door of their apartment interrupts the teen, and with blurred vision, Luffy looks up. A smile lights his face. That has to be Ace! There could be no one else but Ace at had no business in their house. His countenance did a 180, and the dark haired runs towards the door. Flinging it open, he laughs his special laugh, only for Ace.

"Ace!" screams the younger happily, eyes closed tight in excitement. Silence greets his ears. He looks up, and it's not Ace. A well dressed man stares at him curiously, a dark eyebrow raised. Luffy stares back, transfixed. Who was he? He is not Ace. Where is Ace?

Panic overtakes him again. "You're not Ace," Luffy says with disappointment.

The man purses his lips. "And neither are you," he replies smoothly, pushing past the short teen to step inside the house.

Angry, Luffy spins around. "Who are you, and what the hell are you doing in our apartment?!"

The stranger doesn't turn around as he looks around the small home, as if searching for something. "I could ask you the same thing. How do you know Ace-ya?"

Fury lines the younger's face. "He is my brother! I don't know where he...is..."

Narrowed, gray eyes look deeply into the teen's cocoa ones. "I didn't know he had a brother," he mutters, peering closely at the teen.

Luffy doesn't respond, the sadness taken a hold of him again. He sits on the floor, knees bent, rocking back and forth. Back and forth. The older man stares at him. The teen didn't know where Ace is.

Well, there was no reason to stay if Ace wasn't there.

Silently, the well dressed man leaves the small apartment. The brother's apartment. He doesn't turn around to look at the small dark haired whimpering on the floor. He had no time for the weak of heart.

"Wait," the brother calls out.

He doesn't.

"What is your name?"

His dark shoes click pleasantly on the concrete driveway, the intervals between them shortening as his speed increases.

He doesn't hear whatever the teen says next as he turns the corner and disappears.

Luffy stares after the man, a mix of emotions. The house was quiet again, so empty and quiet, and Luffy was alone. So very, utterly, and completely alone.

—•—

The sun was suddenly dimmed, replaced by pale rays of moonlight. The pure, cloudless sky above now instead had a dark blanket covering it, stretching as far as the eye could see. Marco's face was set in a grim line as he changed the rag on his lover's head for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.

Huh. Lover.

The word would definitely take some getting used to.

Ace had taken up his own bed, small fans surrounding him on all sides, shirtless and pant-less. If not for Marco's definite refusal, the sickly man would've gone boxer-less, also. It was too hot, everything, the very air upon his skin pickling and hurting Ace, and no matter what position he laid in, nothing was up comfortable. When he breathed in, he inhaled lava. When he exhaled, he did so with fire. His heart hurt most of all, it drowning in all the emotions, not being able to do not stop anything. Not being able to stay by Luffy's side. His chest radiated heat, and his skin was beginning to take on an unhealthy reddish tint. The wavy haired closes his eyes painfully.

So this was what it felt like dying.

Marco was at a loss of words for the whole ordeal after the library, on the ride home, and when settling the sick man into his home. It was all too surreal. The shock he received after school that day had overwhelmed his senses. He let go of all the frustration there, but much, much more had been pent up ever since, but he had simply channeled that negative energy into something more positive.

Like taking care of someone who was dying, and knowing he would fail.

Ace hadn't been able to sleep, and had woken up in discomfort while on the drive home. Marco inwardly was relieved— any time the adult would doze off, alarms would go off in his head. He also wouldn't have to get that Fire Light, which means he wouldn't have to face Luffy.

The guilt that built up within Marco at that moment temporarily winded him, and held out a hand to steady himself on the bedpost. Ace looks him with wide eyes. "You okay?" he croaks. A smile gracing his pale features.

Marco takes a deep, shuddering breath before responding. "I am okay."

Silence.

"Why don't I call a doctor?" asks Marco quietly.

"Why pay the expenses when I know the disease is incurable?"

A deep cough, a wince in pain. His lips dug downward. His eyes harden. A decision is made.

"Marco," begins the dark haired. His nurse looks at him, tiredness as clear as day on his face.

"I want you to help me write my will," Ace says, narrowing his eyes. He was ready for this. He would not just die and leave it at that. Hell would fucking freeze over before he takes his leave of this crappy world and not leave _something_ behind.

The blonde man is still for several, several moments. He then slowly shakes his head. No. There was no way he could do it. What disgusting bastard would agree to write his best friend's will for them? The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. There was no way he had the resolve, the courage, the—

"Please," Ace begs with him with his eyes, as his arms, which he would've reached out to Marco with, were already rendered useless, victim of Akainu.

They had already stopped responding to the signals his brain gave them.

The most they could do was spasm at random times, with no rhyme or reason.

"You're the only person who can do this for me," he croaks.

Marco's eyes become slits. "Fuck no," he spits. "I'm not gonna write your damned will, because you're not going to _die on me_—"

Ace sighs, and it hurts, but he doesn't let it show. There's a lot of pain things he doesn't show. He doesn't want Marco to worry any more than he already is. "I am dying, Marco."

Marco's eyes fill with tears again, and he turns away.

"I can't move my arms."

He sniffles, and grabs for the nearest tissue. This was not what he needed now, he has cried enough, he was _done_.

"It's hell on earth just to _talk_, dammit, but I will for you."

"Then save your breath and shut the hell up," Marco says. It is a struggle to keep his voice level.

"No."

Marco looks at Ace, a look so scared and afraid that the intended looks away. It was laced with anger. Even as someone who was to leave the older's side soon, he still was a stubborn pain in the ass.

"I want you to help me, Marco," Ace coughs, returning his look with a weak glare. "Do it for me. No, fuck me, do it for Luffy. At least do it for my brother."

And then Marco had to do it, because it was a low blow. He knew what Ace meant by writing the will for Luffy, and it's because he lied. It's because he lied to Luffy that he didn't know where Ace was, that all this guilt was inside him, making him distressed, and making Luffy even _more_ distressed, restless, and scared.

His hands curl into fists, shaking, angry fists, and leaves to find some paper and a pen. "Anything will, work, I don't care," the pale man laughs, the sound ending in rattling coughs that Marco could feel down to his bones. The world around him was slowly crashing down, and Marco was just _agreeing_ with it, because if he doesn't, it'll all just collapse at once, and the blonde would not be able to withstand the force of it.

He'd be crushed under the weight of the world, and the only light in it will be gone.

He'd be covered in absolute darkness.

So as he entered the room, where his best friend and lover lay, where he was dying, he let the tears flow for one final time. Marco needs to get his wits about him. As an adult, he had his pride, and right now, it was suffering greatly.

Ace turned toward him as best he could from his position on the bed. "Oh Marco," he whispers. "I am nowhere near worthy of your tears. Please don't shed them because of me."

The blonde finds a random piece of paper, grabs the nearest pen, grabs his stool. Sits on it. Faces the man. Leans forward. Captures the sick man's lips with his own. Breaks it off after three seconds.

"I love you."

He is able to say it without embarrassment.

"I am going to help you."

Marco closes his eyes against the crashing waves of sadness, washing over him and leaving him empty on the dark sands of his dark world.

"Okay?"

Smiling, Ace hums in agreement. "Could you begin with my mother?"

Taking a deep breath, Marco grips the writing device painfully and writes the woman's name in his sprawled, yet controlled handwriting.

"I have no idea how these things work, so could you just write down the words I say?" There is a forlorn tone in his voice.

Marco wordlessly nods.

In a whisper, the dark haired begins. "I haven't known you long, M- Mom," he chokes in the word. He has never said it before. It is a new territory for Ace.

"But, thank you for giving birth to me."

Marco feels like he shouldn't be here, listening to such a personal conversation.

He glances at Ace, who looks at him with all the fierce determination he can muster. The sickly man nods. Goes on.

Ace closes his eyes. "And thank you for holding me when I couldn't hold myself. For being there when I was alone. For giving me the opportunity to meet my brother, Luffy." His voice breaks on the final word. Marco writes his words down, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"And I...I'm sorry that I'm dying. I'll see you soon, so just wait a bit more."

"Dammit Ace, is this supposed to be some ironic-ass drama that people say right before they die? Don't go shitting on me," curses Marco, slamming the pen in the table.

Grinning, though it sent lightening bolts of pain down his spine and into his chest, Ace replies. "I'm not, just saying what's in my mind."

Marco looks at him queerly. Even he couldn't even imagine what must be in that mind of his.

"Next, my father," begins Ace softly, his voice taking a dark undertone.

Marco writes his words, his eyes locked into his lover's.

"I hate you with a burning passion that will never die out, even after death," he says, his mouth in a straight line. Marco inwardly groans at the word usage. "But you met my mother, and you do make up half of me. The part that I would rather exchange for dog shit, yes, but half of me, nevertheless."

Silence fills the room for a few moments. "I wish I could talk to you about things. I guess I'll see you, too."

Marco finishes his sentence and looks at Ace expectantly. "Sabo," he starts.

"I love you. You complete Luffy and I, and we both miss you from the bottom of our hearts. I hope that—"

Coughs.

Marco cringes. "Don't push yourself."

Ace grimly smiles.

"I...hope that you will continue to live in Luffy's heart, just like you did for mine. Keep watching over him, please? I'll be helping you with that task soon."

Ace finished with an anguished countenance. Marco knows he is about to speak again. And he knows he is coming next, the brother he lied to, the teen who he—

"Law."

"What?" Marco questions, furrowing his eyebrows. "What law?"

Ace shakes his head, just barely visible. His throat burns from talking so much. He grunts, pushes, push on.

"I was in jail, and he bailed me out. A man named Law," explains the dark haired man.

"Alright," the older accepts, readying his pen. He didn't want to ask too many questions. Despite how much Ace hides his anguish, it is clear to Marco that it was painful to answer questions, and the blonde doesn't want Ace to hurt any more.

"Thank you for bailing me out. It honestly means a lot to me," he says. "Could you please take care of my little brother? I know, I know, you're some stranger, and you probably don't give two shits, but..."

He takes a moment to catch his breath, and Marco pauses in his writing, worried. Ace just couldn't die. Not here, _definitely_ not now.

"There's something about you that feels like home. Like comfort. I can't really explain, but I feel as if I can trust you. Could you do me this last favor and take care of him? I leave you with all my books, rent money, and...my apartment. Then, paying for Luffy will be easy."

"Ace!" yells Marco, astonished. Why was he leaving so much to a man who he knew for all of two seconds?

A weak smile stretches across Ace's face. "My gut is telling me to trust him, so I will."

Pursed lips. "Alright."

That was his signal to continue.

"Last, but not least, my brother," says Ace, completely beaming, though it felt as if his muscles were tearing as he did so. He ignored the pain, but the small jolt he let out did not escape Marco's eyes.

"Luffy, you are the light of my world. My rock, my shelter, my shoulder to lean on. Without a doubt, the feeling is mutual. That's why I'm...it's why I want to apologize. For just leaving you hanging when you needed me most. Please don't blame Marco for this. It is all my fault, the blame lies with me. If you ever want to release your anger, please do so on my gravestone, I give you my permission."

A deep, liquid filled breath. This was not good. "Stop," pleads the writer.

"I love you so much it h- hurts. And I'm such an idiot of an older brother. I leave you with everything in my possession, minus the things I had already left to Law." Ace coughs into his palm. Unfolds it. Dark blood lines his pale hands.

Marco finishes the last of his will. "I'm not going to write anything more than this."

Ace nods, not having enough strength to talk.

The blonde releases the pen and glances at the will he has written for him. Covers his face with his large palms. Realizes what he's done.

The night continues in a cycle of checkups, disappearances, and tears.

—•—

It is now Friday. March 3rd.

Luffy doesn't go to school.

His grades are dropping horribly.

Forget that A- he once had, it's now a D-.

Because he doesn't fucking care anymore.

He sits in front of his front door, waiting for the brother he loves ever so much and ever so dearly to waltz in, flinging excuses here and there, and Luffy would punch him. Hard. For messing with him, his feelings, like this. And Ace would dodge it, catch his his fist and laugh, flashing a smile. And Luffy wouldn't be able to resist, and he would laugh too, and Ace would be forgiven, just like that.

He could already see it happening. Now it was up for Ace to just walk through the door.

Which he doesn't.

Which makes Luffy less and less likely to laugh when he sees him.

Definitely a when.

He thought of going out to look for his older sibling, but what if he returned when he was out of the apartment? The younger was in quite the predicament.

Luffy had been updating the Calendar, alone, ever since. Their Calendar. Because Ace was betraying Sabo, just leaving in the middle of everything. But. It'd be okay.

He'd be alright.

Ace'll be okay.

They'd be alright.

But dammit, if the young dark haired said he didn't think otherwise, he'd be a liar. Something deep in his mind told him that Ace wouldn't just disappear for so much a long amount of time. Something was _wrong_. And it was his brotherly intuition that made him think the worse, unconscious somewhere, kidnapped, dying.

The last one struck a cord somewhere deep within him.

No. Fuck that. Ace didn't have his fucking _permission_ to die. There was no checkmate, no, Luffy had already won the damn game. No plot twist, hell, Luffy knew the ending.

Ace as alive and come back to him, no matter what.

So what was this feeling of restlessness?

**•This was such a rough ending, I know. But Ace wrote his will this chapter. It is very, very important! I hope you like! I wanted this chapter to be longer, but writer's block. Review, follow, fav, all that good ish! THANK YOU to all the lovely people who have liked this story. See you in ch 4!•**


	4. Death

**•Alright guys! I should be updating my other story! Put I really like this one so here ya go! :P oh and did I tell you all that's I'm now up-to-date with the one piece manga? AHHAHHH.•**

_—The lake is still, lifeless fish decorating its edges. The exterior of the water begins to turn a murky, infected red. The greenery surrounding the lake has already wilted, save for the last spring flower. The sky, dark, conflicting, sends down the third and final singular raindrop as the calm before the storm.—_

**4\. Death**

The guilt ate at Marco while he slept. The guilt of lying to Luffy about his brother, no matter how much Ace promised the fault didn't lie with him, it did. No matter what, it did, and Marco could not stand the fact.

The blonde prepares to leave, kissing Ace on the forehead, promising a swift, safe return. All the other could do was smile, and even that hurt him, Marco could tell. As he straightened, the black haired grabbed his hand weakly.

"It's time," he says softly. Marco smiled emptily. "Hell no, it's not," he says, jerking his hand away.

"Please stay with me," begs Ace, and then the fight's over, because now Marco had to. He can't say no to that voice. To his begging. To a dying man.

To Ace.

He just can't.

And now he sits by his side, staring into his lover's dark eyes, eyes that were fading away, eyes that begged him to stay by his side.

The man lay on the cot, still, his face pale, his chest a vibrant red. All of the fans were unplugged, as per Ace's request. His dark, wavy haired was plastered to his face, drenched in sweat. He could barely manage to crack open his eyes at the point of time, the pain was so immense. Just looking at his lover squeezed the breath out of his lungs.

"I'm going to die," Ace says, as if finally realizing his fate. "I'm honestly going to die."

Marco is silent, his head in his palms.

"Can you please be here when I go from this world?" Ace asks quietly, and Marco chokes on a sob. He promised he wouldn't cry, he really did, but there was no resolve behind he words, none at all.

Because Ace.

"Dammit, you're a handful, even at death's door," Marco whispers quietly, wiping his teary eyes.

And then he takes a breath, a shuddering one. Ace smiles, weakly, one without sunlight behind it. Closes his eyes. "Please don't cry. You've cried enough for me," he whispers. The blonde shakes his head, not saying a word.

"Marco," Ace sighs, placing a shaking, weak hand on the top of his lowered lover's head.

"I love you."

"I...love you too," Marco whispers.

He hears an approving grunt, low in volume, low in strength. A clammy hand over his own. But it was all the man could produce, all he could do to portray his feelings.

Then the freckled man moves no more.

Marco stays still for a long time, and so does Ace.

"Ace..?" the man begins after a spell, drying the tears he would never admit to on his shirt.

He gets no response, and Marco sits up immediately, eyeing the man on the bed. His heart races. His eyes go wide. His breath quickens. No.

"Ace," Marco says a bit loudly, reaching forward to touch the still man. The air had turned to dense, dense water, his arms, like paper. The task was impossible. His cheeks glistened with the sadness of his eyes as he looked down at Ace.

"No," moans the blonde, gulping as he realizes the dried blood running down from his nose. "No," he repeats, at the red coming from his mouth. "No, no, no," he cries, staring at the closed eyes, the pale face, of Ace. This could not be happening. No. This was a dream. Yes, all a mirage, nothing more than an illusion. There was no way that—

Then Marco's eyes swivel, catching a glimpse of the will that still lay on his desk.

And he fucking loses it.

Pained screams rip through the empty apartment, wailing sounds of agony filling the empty cup of air quickly, and overflowing. His tears flow freely once again, and in abundance, next to his lover's corpse. The man had passed with a smile planted on his freckled face, his hand still covering Marco's. The blonde jumps up from his bed, the bed he used to sleep in, the bed he nursed Ace in, the bed that Ace _died_ in, and runs, runs far from the man, from the house, runs from reality. Because he can't take it. It can't fucking take the pressure and the emotions, the heart break and the sadness, the blood or the sight. It's all too much. He needed a break, needed to get away.

But this was Ace.

And he couldn't. No matter how far he ran, the younger would chase after him. His ghost would, haunting his very thought and action, following him to the ends of the earth.

Marco runs out of the room. Out of the house. Out of the situation. Leaving it there. He'll try to run away. Hell, he'd try. If he didn't, he would surely succumb to his emotions, and drown into the depths of despair.

Hopefully, when he had returned to a calmer state of mind, if even possible, he would confront him again. Ace. Acknowledge his death.

Biting the inside of his cheek, hard, for even thinking such a thing, the blonde sprints through the trees, through blurry eyes and away from Ace.

But little did he know, he left his door wide open.

And little did he realize the shadow lurking next to his house, eyeing him with narrowed eyes.

Little did Marco know, the shadow had also looked at the open door, a mere second from giving in to one of man's more older instincts.

Curiosity.

—•—

It is Saturday. March 4th. Early morning around nine. Luffy gets this swirling sensation in the pit of his stomach, a horrible, horrible premonition, an instinct, a gut feeling.

Something dreadful had just transpired, and the teen had missed it.

And he knew something had happened, too, something always did when his stomach did loops as it was doing now. But this? The dark haired had not experienced a feeling like this before. Maybe it had something to do with his missing brother.

Brother.

_Brother_.

_Ace_.

And that's when Luffy springs up in bed, wide eyes staring into anything and nothing. He gets up as his heart sinks, and walks as his mind tells him to stop. Enters the kitchen. Grabs a pen. Stares at his older brother's sprawled handwriting on previous dates before placing his poised fist, pen in its grip, over the current date.

_Ace is missing_.

For the second day in a row.

And the three words carry such a finality to them that it tightens his throat. Luffy is so lost, so confused, so scared, and the emotions where new. So brand new, and different, and he hated the feeling. He didn't want to feel these things at all. The only person he wanted was the person not here.

A swirling feeling in his gut tells the teen of the ominous undertone to the words.

Sick of the silent, tense air around the house, and doing nothing but running from his feelings, Luffy flees. Quickly walks to the door. Opens it. Closes it. Locks it. Renews his brisk gait away from the melancholy apartment. Down he stairs, turning left, and into he driveway, where spring leaves are thrown at him, the gentle wind caressing his cheeks.

And then he feels peace, fleeting, but peace, nevertheless, and everything seems okay, even for the moment.

"It'll be okay," whispers Luffy, the opening line of the mantra he and Ace had made up in their younger years. "He'll be alright."

He doesn't stop the tears from forming, nor does he stops them from sliding own his face. "Ace'll be okay."

The wind picks up, and leaves are tossed as carelessly as forgotten dolls, a misplaced utensil, as paper.

"We'll be alright."

Blonde, pink, and tears flashes past him.

The teen's wide eyes turn slowly to look at the form, watching the heaving shoulders of the man. His face, obscured by his arm, had gave birth to a lonesome spring rose, dew drops adorning the flower. He looked as if he was in just as much, maybe even more pain than Luffy, and invisible hands squeezed around his heart. He knew what the man was feeling. He understood. Whatever he was going through, that made him shed so many tears, that made him look so weak and broken down, what left him so open and exposed; Luffy knew. He understood.

Because he was exactly the same.

The dark haired had taken all of this in in the few milliseconds the stranger ran by. He had now stopped, the emotions too much. Frowning, and pushing aside his own sadness, Luffy reaches out to tap the male on the shoulder.

"Hey," the younger begins, bending a bit to peer up the underside of his arm. His voice is soft, understanding the feeling, but questioning, curious. "What's the matter?"

And the man tenses, and almost shakes off Luffy, surprised at the teen's interference, and runs. Runs hard, fast, his sandals slapping against the pavement of the driveway, leaving Luffy in the dust. Sighing, but knowing why the guy might want to be left alone, the dark eyed teen stares after the man. Maybe he wouldn't have something new to add to their Calendar, after all.

So it wouldn't be Ace.

He chokes on a silent sob at the name, and takes a big gulp. Looks up. Sees the man walking. Then slowing further, into a complete stop. Stoops down, with his head in his hands, the crying audible from where the younger brother stood. Luffy simply looks at him with sympathy. There was nothing else he could—

The teen's eyes ago wide.

The tattoo on his chest was exposed, open, due to his pink vest flowing in the wind. A navy blue cross with a similarity colored crescent moon, the opening facing upwards. There was only one man in the world he knew with that tattoo, the only man is brother was very, very close with, the only other man he trusted with his life.

"Marco," whispers Luffy brokenly, the quiet name surfing on the wind, crashing into the ears of the intended. The blonde tenses, jerking his head downward. Slowly, slowly, turns, faces Luffy, tears streaming down his face. His eyes, wild, sad, in pain, and the sight hurts. Everything hurts.

"_Luffy_," he whispers.

And it's the way he says it, the desperate tone in his voice, the way he holds himself tight enough to draw blood on the ground, the way he looks like the world was stabbing him in the heart over and over and over, that Luffy finally realizes. Only one person that Marco would shed so many anguished tears for.

"Ace?" he breathes, heart in his throat, eyes wide, anticipating, ears alert, sharp, straining. Marco nods ever so slowly, blinded by his tears, blinded by this crashing wave of despair, drowning him. And Luffy just pauses. Stops. The air, heavy, the sunlight, dark, the leaves, going, floating into the air, ands whirling around, only to be blown aside.

Luffy's face reflected that of a coffin— gray, dead, still, unchanging.

Blank.

And it was this expression, this precarious verge in the edge of total insanity, that set Marco off. He was terrified. If he continued to speak, to talk, Luffy would snap. He would figure out details. The teen didn't even know that his brother died.

But he knew something bad had happened to him.

The hint alone brought him this close to a mental breakdown?

Shaking his head, almost unnoticeably, the blonde gets up, turns, and sprints off in the direction he was originally heading. He wasn't able to do it. He wasn't able to face Luffy, not when he was practically broken. What would happen if he completely broke the news to him? He would shatter.

The man couldn't do that to him, not after he lied to his face, not after his brother died in his care, before his eyes, no, not after all that.

So he runs.

Runs away from the fear, the brother, the dead, the situation, the feelings, the world.

And leaves the deceased's sibling alone, in the road, empty orbs staring after him.

Luffy takes deep breaths. What had happened to his brother? Nothing good, he presumed. No, he knew. Because Ace wouldn't normally do this. Luffy visibly shakes at the possible scenarios going through is head.

Was that why he wasn't home? Is that why think sinking feeling in his gut only got heavier? Is that why Marco's reaction caused him to almost relax into the firm grip of mental instability?

The teen's breaths then come in short spurts. No, no, no. He had said it, over and over, since childhood. _They_ had said it ever since their childhood. That no matter what, they'd be alright, they'd be okay. His chest contracts, and getting gulps of oxygen quickly becomes difficult. Something had happened to his brother. Something bad. Something horrible. He couldn't help. He was helpless. Where was he? Where was his brother?

"A...ce," murmurs Luffy softly between pants, sinking to his knees, his heart much too heavy for his small frame.

The leaves from the nearby trees twirl into the air, gracefully landing back on earth, surrounding the tiny body which lay on the pavement. His breathing was dangerously shallow, the intervals between his breaths becoming longer and longer, and Luffy was gripped with so much anguish and worry that no other thought came to him, none at all but _stop_.

Exactly what was stopping, however, was out of the teen's control, out of his grasp. There he lay, collapsed on the rocky bed, wheezing, sweating, dying. Emotionally.

Maybe physically.

His coal sockets lowered to half mast, his vision quickly blurring. The green around him fluttered quickly and suddenly turned into gold. Wavy gold. A smile. And then darkness.

—•—

The stranger peers after the blonde man racing out of his house from the shadows before revealing himself, formally dressed in suit. Adjusting his tie, a queer habit he had acquired, he fingered the small electronic in his hand. He stepped into the sunlight, his dark hair reflecting nothing, his dark face revealing nothing. Pursing his lips, he enters the house, closing the door behind him, and the sunlight ceases.

Narrowing his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, the tan man's sharp nose realizes a stench. Not so strong yet, but the familiar smell sets his reflexes on high alert.

The smell of a corpse.

The gray eyed walked further into the home, letting his nose lead him. As he walked, the more the vile smell attacked his senses. He narrows his eyes. Something was amiss. At long last, he turns a corner, walks down a hall, and walks into a bedroom. Law stares at the white sheet, tainted with the occasional red, covering the bulky body underneath. Tears his gaze from the body. Stares at the piece of paper on the bedstand. Lets curiosity take over him yet again. Knows he's trespassing. Doesn't give two fucks.

Because before he looks at the paper, he pulls back the sheets a bit.

And it's Ace.

The man whom, not more than two days before, had been smiling and laughing as he thanked Law for bailing him out of jail.

The realization shocked him and, with a quick glance at his chest before covering him again, comes to a conclusion. One he doesn't like, but, one nevertheless.

The man had be sick with Akainu. Which puzzled Law— if he had the serious disease, then he would've known. Ace wouldn't have had half of the energy he showed when he helped him out of jail. And because the disease took twelve to twenty four hours to kill...

Widening his eyes, the surgeon put pieces together in his head. This meant that the man had contracted the illness soon after he had left. Law jerks his hand back, covering the corpse. It was mind numbing. He had only seen the man for about an hour, completely healthy, only to find him the next day, dead, unmoving, cold.

Clearing his throat and adjusting his tie, the man blinks before composing himself. He had seen plenty of dead bodies to last him a lifetime. But he didn't know any of the people personally. Bowing his head, he payed some quick respects before moving towards the piece of paper that had caught his eye earlier

Gently handling the thin material, the man brought the paper to his eyes. Looks over the document for anything that popped out to him. Finds his name. Snaps his eyes back to the top. Reads the title. Immediately backs off. A will? For Ace? Now he really felt like he was intruding.

But his name had been on the paper. At least just reading that part would be okay...right?

Taking a deep breath, he reads his section of the will, pushing the guilty feeling of invading personal space down, down deep into his heart. The recesses of his soul. And reads.

Finishes. Puts the paper down. Focuses on taking deep breaths.

...What the hell? Take care of Luffy? His brother? The guy he saw at Ace's apartment? What the hell did Ace think he was, a babysitting service?

But something intrigued him. Something about the mention of the boy, especially now that's he's met and seen him, has him more interested than ever. He would remember the name. Luffy.

The man stares at the paper for a while, and thinks, thinks hard, about everything. About this will. About the dead man that resides beside him. In the midst of his churning thoughts, his cell phone rings, a harsh, dark contrast against the pale, soundless air.

"Law, we need you at the hospital, now!" cries the frantic voice on the other line. Law sighs as he hold the phone a little ways from his ear. "We just got this new patient and— _shit_—...yeah, just please come over here quick. He might need some— just calm him right the fuck down, okay? Annoying as hell. Right, Law! Please? Hurry?"

Closing his eyes tightly against the waves of annoyance slowly washing over him, Law adjusts his tie before responding. "I have told you several times, Shachi, that it is _Dr. Trafalgar _to you at work." Without another word, or frustrated cursing from his friend, the surgeon hangs up. A eerie feeling of dread creeps up his spine as he makes his leave of the room, back down the hallway, maneuvering through the the house quickly and silently. At last, he exits, glancing back into the home for a quick second before dashing off in the direction of his current employment.

—•—

"Is this the patient?" asks the dark haired man, tugging on his colorless latex gloves, his smile hidden behind a bacteria mask. Donned in his professional doctor's coat, devoid of his hat, and clad in his glasses, the young man switched into his surgeon mode.

Shachi nervously fiddles with a strand of pink hair. "When he was brought in, he had such a weak heart beat, and he was unconscious."

Cold, menacing eyes travel from friend to patient, whom was below them on a stretcher, covered in a white sheet. A dark eyebrow was raised in question. "Why is this cover over him now, as if the patient is dead?"

Shachi's eyes lower, and he speaks quietly. "Well, you see, when he woke up, the guy went nuts. Batshit insane. We literally had to strap him down to the stretcher and cover his eyes because, well...if you were there, you'd understand. It was too crazy, everything happening so fast. We had to stop him quickly, or he'd end up dying."

Waving off the worried eyes of his friend, the surgeon turns to the body before him. Pulls up his gloves, the habit he developed at work when he didn't have a suit on, and stares at the whiteness spread before him. Reaches down. Pulls the covers away. Hears Shachi's sharp intake of breath. Blinks. Furrows his eyebrows. Blinks again.

"You're shitting me..." mutters Law as he stares at the boy below him.

It's the boy he saw in Ace's apartment. His brother.

Shachi lets out a small, high-pitched squeak and shrinks back a little. Noticing the look of awe and surprise on the other's face, the pink haired frowns, confused. "You know him, Law?"

Pushing the informative way of addressing him aside, Law nods almost unnoticeably, secretly, indiscernibly. "I've seen him before."

Luffy's wide lids open upon the removal of the blanket, the never ending white plane that obscured his vision, removed. His wild dark orbs dart about, taking in everything at once, and, after a few seconds, land on Law. And stay there. Law stares back, unfazed by the crazed look. Shachi's head faces Law's, faces Luffy's, then to the former.

The man maneuvers to the edge of the bed to look at his clipboard, searching to put a name to his face. "Monkey D. Luffy...Luffy-ya," he begins, tapping the wood with the attached pen.

"Where the hell is Marco?" growls Luffy, in such an uncharacteristically deep, gruff voice that it raises hair on Law's arms, which seldom occurs. Taken aback, the surgeon pauses in his tapping, narrowing his eyes at the teen.

"Where the hell is he, I said?!" screams the black haired, a tinge of red decorating his face and eyes, jerking out against the restraints. "Bring me that blonde bitch!"

Tsking at the foul language, and the pointed looks he received from nearby staff, the surgeon stares at his patient. Ace wanted him to protect and look after this broken down child? Studying the teen, Law allows for the smallest hint of a smile to shine through his stormy countenance. He would have to wait and see. See if Luffy is worth his attention, his consideration, his thought.

The teen bears his teeth at Shachi, whom of which decided to sneak back up to the stretcher. He immediately scrambles back. "Oi, Law—"

"Dr. Trafalgar."

"Dr. Trafalgar," continues Shachi easily, "I just remembered some...important documentation I had to complete at the main desk. So, I'll be...taking my leave." The pink haired rushes out of the room, leaving the surgeon to glower after him, sending daggers of disappointment. Sighing, the man focuses pack on the patient below him. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he was brutally cut off.

"Do you know where Ace is?" quietly asks the teen.

Law frowns deeply. He was done with the shit this teen had to had to throw at him. He had a crappy day, and he wasn't about to just let this guy walk all over him. He had pride to upkeep. "The guy's dead," Law says casually, as if the words were normally used on a daily basis.

What he has expected was angry yelling and cursing.

What he hadn't been expecting were quiet whimpers of pain.

Dumbfounded, the older simply looked on as silent tears made their way down the teen's face, his expression a blank canvas. The sight was honestly a bit frightening. Through the little time he had seen him, Law concluded that he was the type who showed his emotions clearly, easily. Not once had he ever imagined that the younger, seemingly full of life, could be so devoid of it.

Next, comes the shaking. The unbearable, uncontrollable shaking that rattled the stretcher. That drained the last of any color from the teen. That made his hands clench and unclench. That made his teeth chatter, his eyes water even more.

The sight was enough to put Law on edge.

"You're lying," the dark haired whispers, his mouth curving into a shaky smile that didn't reach his eyes. "That's right. You're lying. There's no other way. Because that's just not possible."

Law shakes his head sadly, all anger having long left him.

Luffy's breath comes in short, alarming huffs. "You're a liar."

The surgeon doesn't respond, averting his gaze to the interesting wall opposite of him.

"Don't you dare sprout shit like that in front of me," spits Luffy, straining against his restraints. They both hear the creaking at the same time. The ominous sound fills the room, only to cease to be the next second. Puzzled, Law looks down at the bed. Sees the broken restraints. Curses. Loudly. Gets those _looks_ again. Contemplates whether or not to flip them off. Goes with the latter. Ignores them and focuses on Luffy.

"Your older brother is dead, Luffy-ya," Law repeats, pursing his lips afterward. "Nothing you do, or say, can change this reality."

Luffy's eyes widen, his pupils all but mere dots. His mouth, agape, tugged downward. And then a flash and Luffy is in top of Law, pounding hell into his chest, releasing frustration and disbelief and pain and sadness, and the blows don't deter Law because he's used to it. His job had some crazy people involved. A certain part of him, though, whispered ever so quietly that this case was different.

Grunting against the increasing brunt of the hits, Law quickly overpowers Luffy, grabbing each arm in his respective hands. Pushing the younger back onto the bed, Law hovers over him, staring deeply into his eyes in search for any remaining shred of humanity, of sanity, of rationality.

None.

He's completely gone.

At the moment, at least.

"Luffy-ya, get yourself together," Law whispers. Luffy is silent. Stops squirming. Looks back into the gray, conflicting, worried, but cloudy eyes of his doctor. The simple look morphs into a glare. "You," he begins breathlessly, shaking his head side to side, mouth quivering, his tears skew lines of water on either side of his face, "are _such a liar._"

Law looks down at the boy, calm, collected, level-headed, whereas Luffy was crazed, devastated, grief-stricken.

And it was the face of the younger that reminded him of his early teens. The wild features, the bared fangs that would bite at anyone within range, the unforgiving eyes. Luffy was him in the past. Him _exactly_.

In a single thought, Law decided.

He would care for the boy. Protect him. Look after him.

He was intriguing, that was for sure— he does not escape one's mind easily. But as of now, the teen needed help, and Ace depended on him to give Luffy that in his stead. Not to mention how relatable the situation was. Law understood the pain of losing someone dear to him, understood it with a burning passion. But then, he was all alone.

He would guarantee Luffy wouldn't have to go through that nightmare.

"I'll care for you," he mutters ever so quietly, the words only brushing the air for a few mere seconds. The teen below him scoffs, fresh tears escaping from his eyes.

"Fuck you! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!" he cries loudly, struggling against the tanned, muscled arms of the older. "You're a liar, and I fucking _hate you!_"

Law sighs. It was going to be a long recovery.

Luffy whimpers, a broken sob escaping his lips. "I _hate_ you..."

In a fixed, precise motion, the surgeon whips out a mild sedative from the nearby counter. Luffy's muscles tense and shift. "What are you doing?" he asks, hyperventilating.

"Stay quiet for a few," the grey eyed mutters, and the shot is injected into Luffy's forearm. The younger below him bares his teeth a final time, dried salt on his cheeks, before collapsing back onto the bed, snoring away, freeing Law's ears from his chatter. Shachi peeks through the doorway to the room, his bright head recognizable anywhere.

"Is it over?" he asks shakily. The doctor, already exhausted, nods. "Yeah. Why?"

Shachi jabs a thumb behind him. "There's some guy wanting to see the patient. He's a little nuts."

A raised, dark eyebrow. Who could the person possibly be? Sparing a single glance at Luffy, the older turns and clicks his way out of the patient's room to meet his visitor.

He walks slowly to the doorframe, stops, and leans on it, clipboard tightly held in his right hand, his left adjusting his glasses. Smiling tiredly, he looks upon the blonde stranger. "Care to tell why you want to entertain me with your presence, Mr..?"

The man shudders in his seat, clasping his hands tightly, leaving bright red in their wake. His face is parallel to the floor, shadows encasing his face, silky strands obscuring the dark countenance. "Marco," he says quietly, slowly, deathly, smoothly, annunciating the syllables with such sharpness that the silence was severed in two.

Law tsks. He doesn't like the attitude this guy gives. "_Marco_," the surgeon repeats, as if the name was sour on his tongue, "what do you want with my patient?"

"What do I want with your patient?" the man repeats, balling his hands. "What do I want with Luffy?"

Gray eyes widen at the name. Marco notices the action. He walks up to Law and takes deep, shuddering breaths. "What do I want with the boy I lied to, the boy who's brother's now dead, the boy who's suffering because there's no one by him anymore? _What do I want with him?!_"

Law is silent. Shachi is silent. Marco pants, eyes narrowed, wild. "Let me into the room," he whispers. "Let me see him. Let me talk to him."

The surgeon narrows his eyes. "No."

Marco frowns deeply, grinding his teeth. "Let me see him."

Law shakes his head. "My patient does not currently have the mental strength nor capacity to deal with visitors at the moment. Please come back another time."

Marco is devastated, the emotion written clearly on his broken face. Yet, all traces of anger immediately disperses, and his eyes widen. "Luffy...he needs rest, right?"

Law closes his eyes, covering the surprise at the other's sudden yielding. "My patient does not need any intrusions at the moment."

"I see, I see, okay, I see," Marco mutters, mostly to himself, looking down at the floor in wonder. "Okay. I'll come back. Yeah, I'll...I'll do that."

Coughing slightly, and trying to cover up his stare and failing, Shachi watches as the man walks down the hall, turns to the right, to the staircase, and escapes from their vision. At which the man released a large breath.

"I swear that guy's high off of something," he says, a nervous smile adorning his young features. "Right, Law—"

"_Dr_. motherfucking _Trafalgar_, Shachi-ya."

"Dr. Motherfucking Trafalgar, then," Shachi begins, ignoring the glare sent his way. "Do you know that guy?"

Sighing, the man enters the room again, his stormy eyes resting on the napping teen. "Not a clue," he huffs. "But he knew Luffy-ya."

Humming out of curiously, the pink haired waited for elaboration, which, to his disappointment, did not receive. The surgeon was much to deep in his own thoughts, in his own world, to be thinking of his friend.

Who was that guy, indeed? How did he know Luffy? How did he know his situation? How did he know where to find him? Though every shred of human flesh within him screamed that it was none of his damned business, a small corner of his heart said it was.

Because he accepted the offer Ace have him.

He would protect and look after Luffy.

The man wasn't going to give this stranger, who could possibly harm Luffy, a chance to do so.

Taking note of the straw hat resting a ways above the teen's head, Law walks out of the room, leaving Shachi behind to scramble hurriedly after him. "Sleep well, Mugiwara-ya."

"'Mugiwara-ya?' What is that supposed to be, a cute nickname?" asks Shachi teasingly, a smile tugging at his lips.

The tanned man adjusts his glasses, the light catching them in the process. "Let's move on to the next patient."

"Ignored, huh?"

—•—

The pink vest wearer exits the hospital and trots home in the browned sunlight, its warm gaze on the horizon. One foot in front of other, in front of other. He would make it home. To Ace. The thoughts swirled in his mind, the only energy he received to continue walking, taking baby steps up to his goal. Ace was at home, waiting for him to face him again. He wasn't running anymore, Marco was ready. Finally able to face the man without screaming bloody murder, without tearing his eyes out, without curling into a ball to cover himself from reality. No. He was ready.

He faces his house. He has arrived.

Marco is ready.

He enters the home. He is prepared.

Walks down the hallway, into the room, ignoring the smell of death that now hangs heavy around his home. But he doesn't care. Because it's Ace. Pulls back the covers. Sees the pale, blood stained face of his friend. Smiles closes lipped against the fresh wave of pain. Covers him up again.

Grabs his phone. Calls the authorities.

"911, what is your emergency?" the lady on the line asks sweetly, as if the world wasn't collapsing and closing in on itself.

"It's..." the blonde says, his voice cracking. "It's my lover."

**•The last time I worked on this was two weeks ago. Then, within the last two days, I somehow came up with over four thousand words to make up for it? I don't know how? *writes fan fiction at one in the morning when I should be studying for finals* HAH. Sorry for the MONTH WAIT. UGH. I promise to update faster. Why is everyone obsessed with looking at dead Ace...idk. Sorry for spelling errors. Hope you like, though! Watch out for ch. 5!•**


	5. Released

•**Finally get to update this story again :D SO excited. And I haven't done a disclaimer at all for this series oops…I DO NOT own One Piece, nor any of its characters.•**

—_The lake is pummeled by raindrops, the once still, smooth surface tainted by a ferocious flurry of water. The flowers that had once bloomed around the perimeter have withered and died, their petals decorating the rose colored lake. Humidity fills the air, and the sky remains an impassive black.—_

**5\. Released**

Two weeks have passed.

The month of March is almost over, the date crawling towards the 28th, still drunk on the 27th.

Marco sits, hands clasped in his lap, inhaling the familiar smell of antiseptic for, it seemed, the millionth time.

"Marco," his doctor addresses him with an outstretched hand, a disgustingly fake smile plastered on his face. The blonde sighs before standing, clasping his rough hand.

"Doctor Chopper," the older begins, "what's the situation?"

The sliver of light the visitor thought he'd imagined in the doctor's eyes had disappeared, replaced with a deep sadness. Marco knew this face, and knew it well.

"Come into my office," the tan man says without emotion, gesturing towards a chestnut colored door nearby. Gulping, the man's gaze flickers to the door before returning to the man, who had given him his back. What was so dire that he couldn't discuss it in the open?

Chopper opened the door for his visitor, who graced the doctor's presence every other afternoon. The blonde took the invitation, naturally, and planted himself on the leather chair that faced the neatly organized desk. The younger twisted his reindeer-like features into a dazzlingly bright smile before taking his seat opposite of Marco.

"About Ace," the doctor immediately begins, not wasting any time, "he's been thoroughly examined and checked over. His corpse has been sent back from the autopsy lab, and, as you have said, he has passed due to Akainu."

Marco nods wordlessly, his cold eyes on a multi-colored vase decorating the otherwise plain tabletop.

The man before him coughs into a tan hand before continuing. "We are only going to look into the medical side of the case further. As for the legal side, you will have to go to a good detective, police, or lawyer, whatever you desire."

Marco licks his lips nervously. "What should I do now?" he asks, because he doesn't have a clue. He has not the slightest notion on what to do next, and because Luffy's out, Doctor Chopper is his one and only other lifeline.

The only thing keeping him within the circle of sanity.

"Well," the doctor begins slowly, eyes lowering, "the medical certificate has already been made. Informing the brother of the deceased would be the next logical step, but, as I heard from Dr. Trafalgar when he was admitted, the patient cannot and would not be able to bear the news. Dr. Trafalgar was able to get information out of his patient, however, that you could be trusted with all of this handling."

The professional paused while Marco took this in, and with a nod, Chopper continued. "The body of the deceased should now be in the hospital's mortuary. Either you may pick it up, as Luffy has left all dealing regarding this case to you, or you may arrange for a funer-"

"No, no," Marco interrupts, waving a hand to stop the talking from continuing. "I'll just…I can do it myself."

"Alright." Chopper turns away from him, rummaging in one of the five filing cabinets behind him. Grunting at the feat, he swiftly pulls up a file, the name 'Portgas D. Ace' adorning the top. He laid this on his desk and opened its contents. Within, a sheet with the words 'Collection of Possessions' was pulled out and placed in front of Marco.

"All of the deceased's possessions are in this hospital. Sign this and you will receive permission to claim them."

Biting his lip, the blonde carefully accepted the pen and, with a shaking hand, signed the important document. Nodding, the doctor gently lifted the paper and returned the document back into its folder. "Unfortunately, because Akainu damages organs on the inside, it is impossible for him to become an organ donor. You are aware of this right?"

A nod.

"You may go collect the possessions in the room to the right of Luffy's, simply go to the third floor. Law should be able to help you out. You know where I speak of, correct?" Chopper asks. Marco forces a smile and yet another nod.

Lifting a dark eyebrow at his visitor's quietness, the doctor begins yet again. "Then, all you have to do is register the death at the register office within five days of death. But, because Akainu is such a rare disease, you've been given a month. I would suggest going today. Understood?"

Marco blinks at him, seemingly a little lost, but nods. He understands.

Chopper lets out a small smile and stands, and the blonde mirrors his actions. "Good. Oh, and Marco?"

The blonde looks at the doctor expectantly. "What is it?"

"Luffy should be about ready to go home now. So just…take your time- with everything. Alright?"

One last nod. A turn, then an exit.

—•—

Luffy sits upright on his bed, his small frame leaning against the pale wall of the hospital.

Two weeks have passed since he's been admitted, and two weeks have passed since he last updated his Calendar.

Just imagining the emptiness of the past fourteen boxes on the paper made him sick to his stomach.

Cursing, he reaches over to the small table that resides next to his bed, reaching for the cup of water his doctor had left for him over an hour ago. He drank thirstily, eyes wandering towards the door as the familiar creaking greeted his ears. Both his doctor and nurse came in, eyes glued to a clipboard.

It was the pink haired so spoke first, and with enough energy to power a city. "Luffy! Feeling better, aren't we?"

The small raven haired grunts, crushing the empty cup and flinging it across the room. It lands near the trash can, not quite making it, and a resulting string of curses fly from his mouth.

Law looks at the scene with a raised eyebrow. It was true that physically, the teen had gotten better, and even mentally, too. However, emotionally, the teen has yet to recover, not in the slightest. Sometimes, he would be extremely happy for no reason whatsoever, and other times, the teen would be in a state of deep depression. It showed through on nights where Law was to check up on him, he would find the teen crying and shaking in his bed, his back towards the doctor. Though on those fateful nights he would leave the black haired alone to grieve, it still didn't make up for how he acted presently.

The teen was good at hiding his true emotions.

"Luffy-ya," Law begins setting the clipboard on the side of his bed, "all of your vitals are okay, and we've checked taken care of you for these past couple of weeks. You have been deemed healthy, and are free to go."

The teen looks at Law and smiles a bit. The older doctor almost wants to laugh at the forged smile.

"Isn't that good for you, Luffy?" Shachi gushes, wrapping an arm around Luffy's slender shoulders. "You finally get to live outside of these boring, white walls. Unlike a certain person," Shachi whispers the last sentence, tossing occasional glances at the surgeon before them. The subtle gazes were returned with an acute glare.

A knock on the door interrupted the cheering pink haired, and silence fills the room. The professionals in the room exchange glances before the dark haired sighs and attends to the interruption. Law opens the door, and furrows his eyebrows at the person who stands there.

"Marco-ya," he says, confusion laced within the word, "what are you doing here?"

The man had gotten to know Law much better after their first meeting. Over the past two weeks, they two had managed to become— _close_ being too personal a word— acquaintances. Law now trusted Marco, as he was informed of his relation to Luffy soon afterwards by Dr. Chopper. And knew he would take care of Luffy.

But he had this nagging feeling in the back of his head, one that he had ignored for a long, long time.

"Dr. Chopper said it was alright to take Luffy home, and Ace's belongings were in the room over here? Could you guide me?" Marco asks, eyes shifting to the right before returning back to his.

Law's lips twitch. "Alright," he replies before walking past Marco. The doctor reaches the room and gently pushes the door open, not a creak to be heard.

Dark wooden shelves line the walls of the room from ceiling to floor, plastic bags lining each available space. The narrow room was lit via a single light bulb. The wooden walls gave the small area a rusty, old look, as if it had not been entered for a long while. While the blonde has studied the room curiously, the professional has already returned, carrying a small plastic bag within his hands.

"Portagus D. Ace's belongings," Law muttered quietly, gingerly giving Marco the carefully wrapped package. "Chopper called me earlier that you could come to get it, but I didn't expect it to be today."

Marco didn't know how to reply. He bowed his head and whispered a quick thank you before exiting, returning the adjacent room.

"No, no, Luffy, you're supposed to have more of a scowl," chides Shachi's loud voice.

The teen laughs heartily. Silence ensures for a few fleeting seconds before the two burst into laughter again. Law's eyebrows rise at the noise. Just what were they doing in there?

"Isn't it more like this?" Luffy gasps in-between fits of laughter, and Shachi sounds like he's on the verge of crying.

Marco reenters the room quickly, followed by Law, to see what all the ruckus was.

The two idiots were holding on to each other for support, tears at the edges of their eyes, the bed creaking below them.

Luffy narrows his eyes and furrows his brows, schooling his mouth into a deep set frown. Adjusting his imaginary glasses, he glares at Sachi. "It's _Dr. Trafalgar_ at work!" the teen grits out in a deep voice, unmistakably familiar to the nurse.

"Oh my goodness, you're brilliant!" Sachi cries, banging his hand against the soft blankets of the bed.

Neither noticed the fuming doctor no less than five feet in front of them, a dark aura surrounding the man. Even Marco was taken aback, steadily avoiding the man by ducking around him. He catches the attention of the couple on the bed, and he whispers quickly.

"I've come to pick up Luffy," Marco breathes, hoping that he doesn't disturb the doctor who was, without a doubt, planning the slow, painful deaths of the two. "Is that alright, Sachi?"

Blinking at the informality, but immediately smiling afterwards, the pink haired nods enthusiastically. "Of course, but of course!" he cheers. Turning towards the patient, or, ex-patient, the man smiles widely. "Aren't you glad to go home?"

Finally recovered from his fit of giggles, the teen nods tiredly. "Yeah. If I have to see white walls any more than I already have to, then I'm gonna puke."

Standing, Marco lends Luffy a hand. The black haired takes it without hesitation, but something seems off. The teen smiled, and that sparkle that disappeared from his eyes had returned.

But it wasn't as bright. The small detail made all of the difference in the world, and Marco knew at that moment that Luffy could never truly be whole again.

Never truly happy.

Never truly laughing.

Never truly smiling.

Luffy, now standing, strides past him. The smile he once sported while with the pink haired had dimmed tremendously, the lips now set in a straight line.

Luffy could never fully heal.

That was the thought that went through the blonde's head as the teen exited. Marco followed after him, scrambling towards the door and thanking the two for the final time for the last two weeks.

Law, finally calmed down, witnessed the change in countenance, and didn't comment.

Instead he stares after the couple as they leave, deep in thought. The man then turns to plop down into the small chair near him. He hadn't really thought of the future until now, now that Luffy was gone. They were bound to meet again. No, they were _going_ to meet again. The will…Ace's will connected them, and their relationship was going to be much more than simple patient and doctor. Oh, _so_ much more.

Law decided he was going to care for Luffy, and that was the end of that.

"What are you smiling about, Law?" asks Sachi out of the blue. The doctor immediately tugged his lips downwards.

"It's Dr. Trafalgar," he mutters before rubbing his temples.

"Hey, Law?" calls out the voice that dismissed himself not more than two minutes ago. Groaning inwardly, the man stands and walks towards the blonde, his glasses catching the sunlight as he moves. "What is it?" he inquires tiredly.

"Can I have a word? It'll only be a minute," Marco calls out, waving Law towards him. The blonde walks down the hallway, past the door where he had gotten Ace's belongings. Slightly curious, the doctor follows silently, and pauses when Marco turns to face him.

"Ace had…he had left a will," the blonde begins, staring deeply into the stormy eyes of the doctor. "Your name was in it."

The doctor's heart rate quickened slightly. He wasn't surprised at the news, as he had done his little snooping around that day. But the blonde did not know this. Law had to pretend as if everything was new to him, so that Marco wouldn't get suspicious.

Why was he so scared of the visitor finding out he invaded their personal space? It was beyond him. Maybe because of Luffy?

Reaching into his back pocket, Marco pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Carefully unfolding it, the man hands it to Law to read. He takes it, but raises an eyebrow. "If this is so important, then why the hell is it in your back pocket?"

Marco blinks slowly. "It's a copy of only your part of the will. I made hundreds."

Lowering his eyes at the personal answer, the doctor reads the will all over again, the familiar words.

_Thank you for bailing me out. It honestly means a lot to me. Could you please take care of my little brother? I know, I know, you're some stranger, and you probably don't give two shits, but…_

_There's something about you that feels like home. Like comfort. I can't really explain, but I feel as if I can trust you. Could you do me this last favor and take care of him? I leave you with all my books, rent money, and...my apartment. Then, paying for Luffy will be easy._

The weight of the words finally dawns on his shoulders, and Law hands the paper back to Marco wordlessly. The blonde refuses the offer, shaking his head. "Keep it. As a reminder."

The doctor remains silent, staring at the paper within his hands. The weight seemed heavier than the world. Yes, he was going to protect Luffy, but the way Ace worded this, it was as if he had to—

"Will you please move in with him? I have no doubt that if Luffy were to remain alone, then he would only fall deeper into depression," Marco explains, his eyes burrowing deeper into the doctor's. "It's a lot to ask, but please. For Ace."

Law's eyes widen a bit. For Ace. Even the blonde didn't know just what the man meant to him. The blonde notices the reaction, and his eyes harden a bit. "You _are_ going to move in with him, right?"

Slightly annoyed at the direct order, the doctor pushes past him and walks back into the room. "I've made my decision, and I intend to keep it. I do what I want. If Ace-ya's will just so happens to correspond to my wishes, then that's that."

"It better," the blonde behind him begins with a low voice, "because if I ever visit and Luffy doesn't have the biggest fucking smile on his face, I swear, I will rip you apart, limb from limb."

"Then why don't _you_ live with him?" Law questions, a dark brow raised, swiftly ignoring the threat. As if this fool ever _really_ took something apart, limb from limb. Old memories resurfaced and a small smile graces his stagnant features.

Marco's voice is barely kept level. "_You_ haven't' lied to Luffy, so he'll at least be happy with someone he knows."

Law decides not to elaborate, and silently leaves his presence. The thought of actually living with Luffy was something never to cross his mind. He re-read the will in his hands, and, undoubtedly, if Ace left everything in his home to him, then he would have no choice but to live there, right?

Sighing, he tucks the paper into his pant pocket. Shachi had finished cleaning the room, the space ready to rear its next patient.

"What did he come back for?" he asks, straightening out the pillows.

Law graces him a low chuckle. "Nothing really."

"Dammit, Law, you know I'm gonna get the information outta you one way or the oth-"

"It's Dr. Trafalgar."

"It's 6:00."

Surprised, the man glanced down at his watch and, surprisingly enough, it was exactly six.

Their shift was over.

Beaming, Shachi took off his white coat as he strides to the door. "Beat you to the car, Law-_kun_."

"Call me that again and it'll be the last time you talk."

Sachi's laugh bounced off the hallway walls, echoing, repeating, before slowly dying down.

—•—

Luffy returned home, escorted by Marco, who had him wait in the lobby on the first floor of the hospital. He sat there for twenty minutes, gripping the package of his brother's belongings as if it was a lifeline.

People milled around him, entering, exiting, walking, jogging, standing, talking, laughing, crying. All of these _movements. _The teen's head began to pound.

When Marco finally reappeared, the teen stands and, without waiting, leaves the hospital. The blonde's heart tightens at his actions, but he doesn't blame him. The small words he let slip from his mouth, his actions on the road two weeks ago…it's no wonder that the teen might feel resentful.

That's all the more why Law should live with him.

If Luffy continues to build up all these feelings without anyone to talk to, he'll burst. He simply wouldn't be able to take it. Marco crosses his arms and quickly follows Luffy. That's the last thing he wanted. He wanted to make up for it, but Marco was hopeless as to how.

The two then walked home, Luffy a good twenty feet in front of Marco, and not once did he look back.

—•—

Luffy enters his apartment, and leaves the door open as he walks in. seeing this as the most inviting the other had been since two weeks prior, Marco greedily accepted the offer, walking in the threshold giddily. Within a second, however, the teen grabs his collar and slams it against the wall.

Sputtering for air, the blonde looks at Luffy with wide yes. "Lu…-ffy?"

"Why didn't you protect him?" Luffy growls, eyes narrowed venomously.

Marco's eyes widen. He didn't recall telling Luffy about his passed brother. But, somehow, he found out? He knew what the package in the hospital _really_ was?

"You were his best friend," he continues, his grip on Marco's shirt tightening, "so why didn't you do something?"

The blonde says nothing, and lowers his eyes. Luffy's face crumples, deep wrinkles forming in between his eyebrows, his teeth clenching. "Marco," he hisses venomously, "answer me."

The blonde gulps. He couldn't talk about Ace now, not right after all of the things that happened in the hospital, not after that. But it was Luffy, the boy he lied to, and that makes all the difference.

"_Well?_" he yells, shaking the man. Luffy shook his head slowly from side to side, mouth shaking horribly at the lack of response. This couldn't be happening. This whole situation couldn't be happening.

Even Marco?

The man before him gulps, his mouth suddenly going dry. "I…I…"

He couldn't do this.

"Damn it all to hell!" Luffy screams, tears forming in his own eyes now. "Tell me why you didn't do anything— give me every single fucking excuse."

"I loved him," Marco whispers, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I loved him and I love him now. Do you think I _wanted_ this to happen?"

Luffy's grip slacks, but not enough for Marco to slip out of it. Silence ion engulfs the both of them, and it's a while before the teen manages to form words. "You…what?" Luffy whispers, eyes widening.

"I…we…"

How could Marco begin?

Neither moved.

And neither noticed the door was still open.

The well-dressed man had intended to continue walking towards his room after being dropped off by Shachi, but the cries from inside the room caught his attention. Not more than a mere second after he stopped to stare and assess the situation, the both of them turned to stare at him, tears streaming down their faces. Law tenses at the personal moment, and begins to make a clean get away from the tear jerking scene when a voice stops him.

"Wait."

Cursing under his breath, the man slowly turns and faces Luffy, who looks up at him with round eyes. "What're doing here?"

Law considers ignoring him, but one glance at his salty cheeks tells him the option wasn't possible. Not to mention the look Marco gave him.

"I live here," he swiftly replies before going on his way.

Luffy stares after his retreating back. Exactly three doors down, on the opposite side of the hallway, the man unlocks his door, walks in, and closes it softly behind him.

Marco allowed a small smile. At least moving in wouldn't be too hard for the surgeon. The smile, however, didn't last long.

"Leave," Luffy then says, facing Marco. "I don't…I don't know what happened between you and my brother but…"

Marco shakes his head, motioning for the teen to stop. "I'll…I'll visit," the blonde says hopefully.

Luffy snorts. "Make them seldom."

Studying the teen's face, Marco exits. All signs of anger, or maybe even shock. Were gone, replaced by this mask. He didn't have a mask before.

He used to wear his heart on his sleeve.

But now, it was different, and Marco disliked it.

Luffy shut the door. Marco was left alone in the hallway, and there was nowhere else to go but home.

That, and the register's office for Ace's death certificate. Marco allowed himself only a few more tears before making his way out of the apartment, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

—•—

Law watched the man go from his window within the complex. Shaking his head sadly, go goes to lie on the couch in his living room, switching on the TV. The noise emitted from it is immediately pushed back into the far recesses of his mind, the main article being Luffy.

How would he live with him? And _when_ should he? There was no question that Law would, undoubtedly, live with the teen. What would Luffy think of it? How would it all work out? The man was bewildered, and the thinking caused a slight headache. Law was rarely, if ever, confused, and it hurt his head to think of it further.

Ace would've known what to do.

Frowning, he sits up, hoping to find something to take his mind off of the teen. Looks around his small apartment. Spies paperwork on the table. Narrows his eyes. "A teacher, huh?" he mutters, reaching over and getting the documents he received in the mail a day ago.

"…Grand Line High School for the summer?"

—•—

Luffy is left alone again. The word stirs mixed feelings within him. He walks over to his Calendar. Ace's Calendar. Sabo's Calendar. Their Calendar.

Picks up the pen.

Goes back fourteen days. Luffy begins to write.

Then stops.

And tears flow again.

He moves his shaky hand, scribbling gibberish over the two weeks of empty spaces, his hand furiously writing unknown letters and illegible words over the paper. He couldn't stand it. Ace was dead, and the light of his world had vanished. He couldn't stand the fact at all, no matter how much he tried to laugh.

It hurt.

Everything did, and the feelings were conveyed through the paper.

His hand ached, but he didn't care. His arm begged for blood flow, but he allowed it none. It was horribly cruel, this vile and twisted reality he was now forced to life in.

It wasn't fair. Nothing was fair.

Setting down the pen gently, Luffy stares at his work for a bit. The dark haired steadies his rocking body against a nearby the table, fighting the crashing waves of grief and exhaustion. Forcing himself to walk to his bedroom instead of crashing on the floor as s hard, painful struggle. Slowly, but surely, and goes to his room to rest. His head pounded, and his heart was slowly dying. Luffy laid his dark locks on the pillow, rubbing his cheeks against the softness. Luffy thinks of both Ace's and Sabo's Calendar. And he swears he's gonna update it.

The bizarre, peculiar pen markings, however, display two words inside the condensed mess of scribbles. The two words that Luffy wanted to say, but never could. The two words that followed Luffy everywhere he went. The two words that no one could fulfill anymore.

'_Help me.'_

•**It's been over a month and I'm sorry I'll update this **_**much**_** much quicker and yes things are finally moving along and I am so excited now yay applause clapping cheers whoop. *takes a breath* How was the chapter? Drop me a review, follow, fav, or all three? Because, you know, you all are sunshine and daises **** See you all in chapter 6!•**


	6. School

**•I had a sudden urge to write another chapter for this story! I would've updated sooner, but I was working out a big Lawlu story to come soon... ^^ So, without further ado, here's chapter 6!•**

_—The rain soon turned to hail, destructive shards of ice falling from the sky and destroying the land around the lake. The water in the lake had started to freeze over, creating a thick, almost transparent layer of cold, hard ice. Nature, once blooming in abundance around the lake, was no more, and the water was full of deceased. A nearby seed, woven deep in soil, however, wriggled slightly.—_

**6\. School**

Luffy doesn't bother attending Grand Line High. His brother died. It's senior year. His brother died. His grades are okay. His brother died. He doesn't care.

His brother died.

So what was the point?

Months dragged on in this fashion, with Luffy walking around the apartment lazily, not bothering to look at the Calendar, his last cry unheard and unanswered. Ignores the mailbox outside filling with his mail. Doesn't ask how they magically appear on his table. Wonders for two seconds how he is still able to live in the apartment, since he hasn't paid rent for so long. Then. Doesn't wonder anymore.

His birthday passes. He laughed around the house on that day, kicking over several pieces of furniture, screaming how he hated his life. Laughing at himself, at his situation, at everything. Everything was just so damn _funny_. He doesn't notice the sympathetic stare from the peephole of his door. The next day, everything was put back into place, repaired.

Luffy doesn't know how food keeps reappearing in his fridge.

One day he would completely empty the fridge, not a speck of food left, the next, it would be full again. Luffy asked no questions, gave no fucks. Who cares where it's from, who cares if it would harm him. It was free food. He ate.

It was one day, a hot morning, where Luffy was so hungry it hurt, because he had skipped dinner the previous night, memories forbidding him from movement, from sanity, let alone eating. His Calendar suddenly fell from where it hung. Luffy looks at it and picks it up. Nothing else. He had stopped updating it the day he came back from the hospital. He was done with it. Those months of the past, originally full of happiness, were nothing now, nothing but pain and it hurt him. It hurt him a lot.

The teen scoured the fridge for meat, which he noticed was a bigger portion than the other foods his fridge provided him with, and, upon finding some, rips off an unsightly chunk and stuffs it in his mouth. The cold is unforgiving, and Luffy's eyes water at the uncomfortable feeling. He doesn't care. Fuck his teeth.

He turns from the fridge and eyes the growing pile of mail on his table, which were open, read, and stuffed back into the envelope. These sat in a neat stack on one side of the table. That wasn't what Luffy was looking at though. There was a certain letter left unopened, one that screamed at him, 'Open me!'. Luffy would've ignored it, but didn't, because there has never been a letter like this is the past few months. So. He opens it. Reads it. Narrows his eyes and balls it up.

Like hell he was going back to Grand Line High for summer school. How old was he, ten?

Luffy angrily fists the letter, and throws it to the other side of the room, where it rolls crookedly before coming to a stop. The paper had told him that because he's grades were superb during the school year, he could have a chance to get in those few remaining credits he missed by completing them over the summer. By taking this opportunity, he could start college as per usual in the fall-

And he stopped reading because it was _hilarious_. What college? What opportunity?

What future?

The teen glares at the offending paper before his eyes come to another letter on the table, one right below the invitation to summer school. He narrows his eyes at this one. There was nothing on the envelope, just a plain, white, blank space.

He reluctantly picks it up and opens it. Removes its contents. And tears form in his eyes.

It's Ace's will.

That's what it says, anyway, and Luffy almost doesn't believe it. But. The three lettered name still tears at his heart. He finds a chair to sit to read the letter. Because, surely, if he stands, he would collapse, and stay on the ground.

So he sits.

And reads the will.

_I haven't known you long, Mom. But, thank you for giving birth to me. And thank you for holding me when I couldn't hold myself. For being there when I was alone. For giving me the opportunity to meet my brother, Luffy. And I...I'm sorry that I'm dying. I'll see you soon, so just wait a bit more. Next, my father. I hate you with a burning passion that will never die out, even after death. But you met my mother, and you do make up half of me. The part that I would rather exchange for dog shit, yes, but half of me, nevertheless. I wish I could talk to you about things. I guess I'll see you, too._

Luffy's hands shake while on the paper, gripping the fragile object tightly. He bites his lip hard, remembering the one time he had brought up the subject of Ace's parents. He remembers his brother quickly dismissing the subject, obviously too personal, too touchy a topic. And now this...this was too much.

_Sabo. I love you. You complete Luffy and I, and we both miss you from the bottom of our hearts. I hope that you will continue to live in Luffy's heart, just like you did for mine. Keep watching over him, please? I'll be helping you with that task soon._

The teen's breath hitches at the mention of his other descended sibling, and his mind wanders back in time, where he knows it shouldn't be. But he can't help but live in the past. It's where his happiness resides, where he left it. It's also the cause of his pain, says a small voice. Luffy agrees with a small, bitter smile. He missed Sabo.

_Law. Thank you for bailing me out. It honestly means a lot to me. Could you please take care of my little brother? I know, I know, you're some stranger, and you probably don't give two shits, but. There's something about you that feels like home. Like comfort. I can't really explain, but I feel as if I can trust you. Could you do me this last favor and take care of him? I leave you with all my books, rent money, and my apartment. Then, paying for Luffy will be easy._

Luffy blinks a few times and rereads. Without a doubt, Law's name is on Ace's will. Law, his _doctor_. What the hell is he doing on such a personal document? How the hell did they know each other? 'Bailing him out'? Confusion swirls throughout Luffy's brain, overtaking the sadness for a moment.

Just a moment.

_Luffy, you are the light of my world. My rock, my shelter, my shoulder to lean on. Without a doubt, the feeling is mutual. That's why I'm. It's why I want to apologize. For just leaving you hanging when you needed me most. Please don't blame Marco for this. It is all my fault, the blame lies with me. If you ever want to release your anger, please do so on my gravestone, I give you my permission. I love you so much it hurts. And I'm such an idiot of an older brother. I leave you with everything in my possession, minus the things I had already left to Law._

Luffy sets down the paper and doesn't do anything. Doesn't move. Doesn't blink, doesn't breathe. And then, a whimper escapes him. Then another, and another after that. The dark haired shakes his head slowly, curled fingers gripping his dark hair. "Damn it all," he mutters quietly, crying softly in the cold apartment, alone, the will Ace left in his possession catching each salty tear. Everything in his vision blurred and tilted.

Hah.

He was in the floor. Luffy laughs then, a big, booming one.

Everything is so funny, so damned funny, and he both loved and hated it. That he was alone, that he's just lost and confused. And just hates. Hates hates hates. The envelope flutters down beside him, and he almost doesn't see it, the small name at the bottom.

"_Marco_," Luffy breathes and it's not fake. It's not fake, not a single letter of it, it's all real and genuine, and Luffy's a sobbing mess all over again. And to think this was the same man that he had held against the wall, choking him. The man he hated. He despised. He ignored.

Yet he was able to bring him this. Ace. He was able to bring him his last words and thoughts. Suddenly, Marco isn't all that bad in his eyes, and thinking about all the things Luffy did to him makes his throat contract.

His eyes quickly skim over the page again. Then. A nagging feeling blossoms in his chest. Law. If that man was on Ace's will, then he should've been an important person to his brother. Why didn't he say anything in the hospital? Emotions rage through Luffy like an uncontrolled storm, and fury quickly dominates all others. It's what drives him to get up and stomp towards his front door, pulling it open with such force that the wood almost comes off its hinges. Luffy, eyes wide with anger, curls his fingers into shaking fists. Narrowing his gaze, and aiming it at the door down the hall, where he knew his doctor just so happened to live, Luffy stalks out of his room and approaches the door. Stands before it for a second.

Intentionally knocks rudely five times.

No answer.

Luffy blinks before trying again, but to no avail. With no outlet to release his anger on, it sort of just disappears. Leaving the dark haired with only sadness, which he should really call depression, and loneliness. He was more alone in this world than he would admit to, and that single fact alone gave way to fury. Luffy was just about to turn from the door when his eyes catch a small flyer sticking out from just underneath it.

Luffy doesn't care if it's prying, so he bends and retrieves the flyer.

The colors are bright and familiar.

Grand Line High School Summer School, a job as a teacher.

Luffy's eyes widen. Law, a teacher at Grand Line? Schooling his expression into something that resembles impassiveness, the teen turns from the door quickly, retreating into his own apartment and closing the door. Thinks, and thinks hard. He walks over to where the balled up flyer from his school lay. Gets to work straightening it as best as he could. Grabs his brother's will, and barely holds back a suffering, strangled sound.

He walks with heavy feet to his room, the two papers in each hand. He lays them on his nightstand, officially worn, and crawls onto the bed he got up from half an hour ago.

"I'm tired..." he mutters to no one. "My head hurts."

They're the first comprehensible words he's spoken in weeks.

—•—

Law taps his foot irritably, blinking lazily at the lecture the Director of Staff was giving him on tips for classroom teaching. He wasn't entirely sure why he even applied for the job- a gut feeling, maybe, if he were to say. It was so uncanny of him. Something he, on his own, would've never applied for.

But.

This gut feeling.

That tells him something would change in him because of this job. Something would happen. Just, something. Shachi had laughed at him the other day when he had mentioned the opportunity, almost in tears when imagining him helping _students_. But, in the end, it was all well and good. "Why the hell not?" Shachi had said, laughing at the frustrated face of the surgeon. "It lets you torture kids _and_ still talk about your favorite subject. A win-win situation, if you ask me."

Law bit his lip absentmindedly while looking over the packet they gave him, basically information on how to provide a safe, clean, and effective learning environment, how to adequately care for each individual student's needs, and how not to be a creepy pedophile.

To say he'd had enough was an understatement.

It was mid lecture when the woman, whose name he didn't really catch, Nami, maybe, called him up for something. Bored, annoyed, and completely drained of any and all energy, the man stood. The orange haired girl smiled a little too brightly. "Mr. Trafalgar? We are hoping you would be our Health teacher for this term of Grand Line's annual Summer School. Can you please tell us, with your viewpoint as a surgeon, on how one could care for their body?"

And Law gave her the most openly drained look. Lowered eyebrows, narrowed eyes, looking at the woman as if trash. Even a hand on his hip. And Nami only smiles wider, because she knows the effect she has on the man. Sighing, the surgeon walks towards the front of the classroom, the stares of about twenty other adults on him, and Law is anything but comfortable. He really just wants to get back to his homey apartment. He's been out all day.

Clearing his throat once, he faces the Director and the others sitting in the room. "Thank you for letting me have this opportunity," he begins with the most forced smile he's ever made in his life. "To care for your body, and taking my being a surgeon myself into account, I believe that..."

...

Law got the letter the next day. He'd been accepted for the job.

It's hilarious how far sugar coated words can get you, especially in a profession. And it helped that the woman had thought him rather good looking, and chose him quickly over his bland competitors. But yet, he still had to attend various training sessions; most of which started early in the morning and didn't let out around four, and it annoyed him to no end. But.

That gut feeling.

And Law endured. For a whole damned week, he endured.

But it went so fast.

The next day was the first day of summer school, and the man relapsed from the blatant cockiness he displayed in the training to a nervous school girl before her crush. He turned to Shachi for assistance, and the pink haired had the _gall_ to laugh at him. "I've never seen you so out of it, Law-kun," he gasps between uncontrollable hiccups, and Law glares at him from over the rim of his coffee cup.

"Don't push it," Law growls, setting down the mug forcibly. "I just have a few jitters. I am teaching a classroom, with irritable, hormone-driven teenagers. Anyone, especially one how hasn't exactly taught before, would be a just a _bit_ nervous."

Shachi wipes the final tear from his eyes, and gathers his wits about him. Finally. He says, "Well, what're you gonna teach?"

Law stands to put the empty cup in his sink, and grabs the flyer from Grand Line on his way back. It somehow ended up on the ground by the door, but Law doesn't question it too much. He always misplaces his crap. "Health," he responds, eyes rereading the slip of paper. "Classes start tomorrow and I don't even have a plan."

The pink haired fake gasps, holding a concerned hand to his chest, and Law eyes him warily. "You're not helping," the tattooed man mutters with slight annoyance in his voice. He sits back down next to Shachi, though, and rubs his temples tiredly.

"Oh, is this the same Law I've grown to love?" Shachi questions dramatically, swooning on his shoulder. Law looks at the man as one would at vermin. The nurse continues on regardless. "You _always_ have a plan, and you're _never_ nervous."

Law sighs and discards the paper, leaning back on his couch and staring at the ceiling. "That's what I thought, too," he admits with a small smile.

Shachi's laughter fills him up, and tugs Law's lips upwards. Then his companion quiets, and Law feels his stare on his face.

"Ok, now you're just creepy."

"Cut me a damned break, Shachi-ya. I have lots of work to do. Er, rather, begin."

"Then just _doooo_ it," the pink haired drawls, waving an unconcerned hand. "I'll try my best to bother and distract you."

Law rolls his eyes, a low, sarcastic, "Thank you" falling from his lips, which were curled into an unnoticeable grin.

—•—

Luffy takes another look at his blank, empty Calendar silently, his breathing ragged and uncontrolled. He was staring at earlier months. Ace's handwriting. His words, his penmanship, his day to day events. Next to Luffy's.

He doesn't know why he tortures himself like this.

In one hand he grips the flyer to summer school. In the other, he grips his brother's will. Tightly, the both of them, until his hands and hurting and clammy and sweaty, and suddenly Luffy's whole body is shaking. He grits his teeth to stop the scream rising in his throat, accompanied by the bile, and he stops it, because no. No. Just, no.

And then Luffy sits. Stares at the will. Law's name appears again. And then he thinks about the school paper under his door. Looks at the one in his hand.

Law was going to be at this Grand Line High this summer.

The damned doctor was never at his door to answer his questions, and Luffy had given up after a few days. Not only because the surgeon wasn't home, but also because. Lately he felt uncomfortable outside of his apartment, and it wasn't a welcome feeling.

Funny how he used to love the outside air, thinking the inside was stale and unmoving.

Luffy takes a deep breath. Lets it out slowly. He needed answers. From Law. And he obviously wasn't going to be in his apartment soon, and he didn't know the guy's schedule.

But there was one thing he did know, and the answer laid crumpled in his palm. "Guess I'll go," he mutters to no one in particular. "Only one day, just to get answers." And not for his brother, oh, _definitely_ not. That name hurt and thinking about him hurt, and though his brother probably would've wanted Luffy to go school as an opportunity to actually start college on the fall, he couldn't.

All of his ambitions, hopes, and dreams died with Ace.

They only thing driving him to go, and for a day only, mind you, is because Law's name appears on the will. He still couldn't believe it. He knew Ace, and dearly, if he were to put the man on his will, but yet he told Luffy absolutely nothing. His teeth clench before violently opening the fridge, restocked yet again to the brim with food. He didn't want to think about anything anymore.

He eats.

And doesn't think.

It is May 29th. School started the 30th. 9AM sharp. Ends at 4PM. And Luffy would be there.

That was his only exception for thoughts. That, and Marco. Because Marco deserved a thought or two. And a hug, maybe even an apology. Because. Luffy treated him like shit, and he could see the pain in the blonde's eyes when he looked at him, but he ignored the look. Horrible. Just horrible.

Well.

Maybe Luffy had a lot to think about.

—•—

Marco sits with his long, slender legs crossed at the knee, arms folded, and mouth twisted down in a deep frown. He had been sitting for all of ten minutes, and his patience has worn very, very thin. Within the registration office, he, a man arguing quite loudly on the phone, and a woman dressed in all black, sat, politely leaving space between each other. The blue eyed man didn't bother looking at the other customers waiting for their certificate of death, and vice versa. The atmosphere was dark and gloomy, and Marco kind of liked it. He could grieve without the emotions stirring from him alone.

"Mr. Marco?" tentatively calls out the desk lady. She had once told the him her name, but Marco forgot.

Rude.

But he couldn't care less.

"Please come to the front desk, if you may."

Grunting, he peels his sorry self from the chair he sat in and walks slowly to the desk, where the woman gave him a warm smile. Marco blinks. It's not warm at all. No, wait, it is, but just not to him. He just doesn't feel...anything.

Nothing seems to be warm in this world anymore.

"Here is your certificate, we will take care of the rest, if you may," she says brightly. "You can come back anytime to schedule a funeral if yo-"

"_I_," cuts off Marco with steel in his eyes. The poor girl jolts a little. "Can handle it myself, thank you."

She licks her lips and pushes back a strand of her short blonde hair. "Y- Yessir. Here's t- the certificate. Have a nice day, if you m- may."

Marco nods solemnly before stalking off, the desk lady's frightened eyes on his hunched back the entire time. He was just out the door, had just exited, when a slender arm taps his shoulder confidently. He turns with an annoyed eyebrow raised. What the hell did this woman want with him?

"Marco, is it?" she asks, and the blonde realizes she was the other woman in there, and she was apparently listening to the conversation he had with the desk woman. "Do you need help solving the murder?"

Marco narrows his eyes dangerously. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," he says after a pause. Marco shrugs off her hand and strides, strides, strides away. Because. He doesn't want to revive those hideous, hideous feelings he experienced a few months back. It's lessened now, and he wants it to stay that woman clad in black makes no move to follow, but instead calls out, "Don't you want to know who killed Ace?"

And then Marco jolts because of that name, and in a mere second he has the neck of the lady in a firm, unforgiving grip against the wall. The cap covering most of her face lifts slightly, revealing only short, tangerine colored hair. She doesn't make a sound as Marco's grip tightens slightly, and instead smiles. "It seems you do know what I'm talking about," she whispers, amusement in her soft voice, and Marco's slitted gaze becomes venomous.

"Who in the hell are you, bitch?" he asks, and he's surprised suddenly. Because of his actions, how violent he's become. Because of his voice, how gruff and unfriendly it sounds. He was different before.

He was better before.

It was now when the orange haired feebly reaches for the hands around her neck and pulls slightly. Tilting her head up, as if to look down at the man, she glares with the deepest shade of blue he's ever seen. "Unhand me first," she commands quietly, but the threat is all too there, and the blonde hadn't expected that. At all.

But he complies, and he lets go. Stares at his hand. Shakes his head and chuckles bitterly. He really _has_ changed.

"Let's go," she says, gesturing to him. "Let's talk over coffee." And, yeah. Marco could deal with some coffee.

Coffee sounds alright.

...

"I'm a trustable person," she begins with the straightest face ever, and Marco actually laughs at that, attracting many stares throughout the small shack. "I don't think I caught what's so funny," she snaps irritably.

"You're dressed in all black, tell me the name of that man-" At this she arches an eyebrow, "-not to mention that you think someone _killed_ him, and then expect me to stay quiet and _trust_ you?" Marco shakes his head. "I must be absolutely insane for following you here."

The woman smiles warmly before taking a sip of her dark beverage. "No, you're not. You're smart for coming with me." She lowers her lashes, and then says, "I may not look it, but I'm a part of the Investigate Police. I can solve any case I'm put on."

Smirking lifelessly, Marco goes, "Hmph. You look more like a gangster than the fucking police, but I guess that's not my business. Stop beating around the damned bush and spit it out, woman."

At that her eyebrows disappear into her hat, and those dark eyes of hers harden. Her once curved lips thin into a straight line before taking a long sip of coffee. "If not for that person, I would've stopped this whole Ace shit right when I heard it," she begins coldly, and Marco balls his hands into fists on the table. He'd had enough of this woman saying Ace's name without any regard for him, any respect.

"Where did you hear that name?" he asks, steel in his voice.

"I'm not obliged to tell the likes of you," the woman replies swiftly, smoothly, glaring deeply into his eyes.

The two stare at each other for a bit before Marco screams internally to calm the fuck down. That she was trying to help. He takes a deep breath. Lets it out. "Can you please tell me your name, officer?" he asks as politely as possible, and his company smiles as if the earlier confrontation never happened. As if he didn't almost choke her to death no more than ten minutes ago.

She was a weird lady. Composed, authoritative, and weird. Marco suddenly doubted her less.

"My name is Koala," she says, showing him her badge with one gloved hand, and extending the other towards the man. Marco takes it, shakes roughly, and lets it drop. She ignores the blunt act. "I've been asked by a certain person to help you solve the murder of Portgus D. Ace."

The blonde grits his teeth, painfully, before hissing, "How do you know this information about him? Can you ascertain that he was murdered?"

"I've orders from above to keep my lips sealed, so sealed they remain. But I will say this. I just have a gut feeling," Koala says, smiling emotionlessly, "And they usually turn out to be true." Marco shakes his head violently. "Look, Cookie, I don't have time for this-"

"And you think I do?" she interrupts sharply, frowning at her incorrect name. She leans back and crosses her arms. Warily eyeing her forgotten coffee, the orange haired sighs. "Let me remind you, I'm only doing this as a favor for someone else, since they can't be here at the moment. I started two months ago. Two." Koala looks into Marco's eyes seriously. "You're harder to find than you look."

Marco has no retort, and the woman goes on. "So, as stand in for that person-"

"Which you can't tell me either?"

"Glad you're catching on," Koala says with a slight smirk. "So, as stand in for that person, I'm gonna try my damned hardest. You're my only lead so far that's...should I say stable? You're my only emotionally stable lead."

That's hilarious.

Marco is anything but.

He reaches out to his cold coffee. Takes a small sip. Guess he hides it well.

Unlike Luffy, he thinks. Then. It hits him.

That's probably who she's talking about.

And then Koala narrows her eyes knowingly. "So we're going to be working together for a while. Here's my card." She turns to her left, reaching into her dark coat and pulling out a small slip of paper. "I'll contact you once I have found something, or if I need any information from you."

"Ah," Marco mutters, eyeing the paper.

"So," concludes Koala, standing. She puts a twenty on the table. "That's that."

She leaves with a flourish of her long coat, and people stare as she walks out. The blonde follows her with his eyes like his fellow coffee drinkers. She did, in fact, carry a certain air of authority around her, as a queen walking among peasants.

That's what snapped him out of the trance.

"W- Wait!" he calls after her, scrambling out of his seat and running after the woman. Koala doesn't answer, and instead walks out of the store. Marco tsks before pushing the glass door open, not more than five seconds after she had left, certain she'd be just outside.

But he stares at nothing but road and the setting sun.

—•—

Law groans and turns off the shrill noise of his alarm clock, waking him up at 6 AM. He gathers his bearings quickly, knowing that he had to be at Grand Line in a mere hour. He gets up reluctantly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

He wasn't particularly excited, but neither was he nervous anymore.

He was. Just.

It was something that had to be done.

He moves groggily into his kitchen to make strong coffee, a small smile lighting his face at the aroma. Leaving it to brew, Law goes into his bathroom and takes a long shower, with warm water hitting his face to wake him up. Then he brushes his teeth. Throws on a dress shirt and slacks, along with with shoes, and even a tie. Makes his face and hair presentable. Gets back to the coffee and adds just a pinch of creamer before sipping gingerly, the hot liquid soothing and energizing. Grabs some Ritz crackers for breakfast, his secret binge food.

He glances at the time. 6:47. Laughs. Of course he'd be late.

Law grabs his coat, a dark one that reached his ankles, with a yellow smiley on the back and similarly colored dots adorning the bottom (Shachi had given it to him as a present for his birthday years ago, saying it "screams Law". Though it looked utterly ridiculous at the time, he had unknowingly grown fond of it). He grabs his dark duffel bag, stuffed to the brim with notes, lesson plans, supplies, his phone. Other teacher stuff Shachi thought he'd need. The man worried for him too much, but it made Law happy. Hell if he'd admit it though.

It was nice to be looked after. That's why he tried for Luffy.

He closes and his door, running a tired hand through his hair, and speed walks down the hall. Law pauses, however, right outside of Luffy's door. His eyes flicker towards the peek hole, contemplating. Should he check on him? He doesn't.

He continues to walk.

But speaking of Luffy.

He would have to deal another blow to his bank account to feed and house the teen.

Cursing under his breath, and hoping this job would pay enough (Shachi claimed he was already filthy rich because of his being a surgeon, but Law didn't think so), the man locates and enters his car, sets down his coffee, munches on more salty goodness, and pulls out of the parking lot.

Twenty minutes later, he found himself in front of a very pissed principal.

"Law," sighs the man, his dark fingers tap, tap tapping on the wooden desk. "You're late."

"I'm aware," Law says indifferently, relaxing further into his chair, and the lips on the principal twist upwards into an edgy smirk. Law really doesn't like the man he had to work for, and had honestly expected someone more...reserved.

This guy was so cocky and full of himself that it made Law want to puke. The principal sat in an obnoxiously large, pink fluffy chair, and making him look as if he wore a large coat. He studies Law carefully though those white rimmed shades of his for a moment too long, and the man on the receiving end of the gaze fidgets.

"I feel as if we are going to quickly become _great_ acquaintances," the blonde before him purrs, and Law forces himself to smile, at least glad he didn't get into too much trouble on the first day. "I'm glad to work with you, Mr. Donquixote," Law says, and the happy-go-lucky expression he wore was starting to pain him.

Chuckling, the man extends a hand. "Doflamingo is fine."

Law takes it, and suppresses the urge to flinch. "Alright, Dolflamingo," and the name is poison on his tongue. The blonde squeezes the hand before letting go, Law's eyes narrow instinctively. A moment of silence passes between the two before Dolflamingo turns and rummages for something behind his desk. "Room 69," he says, and Law stares at him.

"C-Come again?"

"Your classroom is Room 69," Doflamingo repeats, giving him an all too suggestive smile, and Law clears his throat to rid of the bile.

"Oh. Okay," he manages weakly, and he takes the key handed to him, along with a slip of official looking paper. "Phone numbers to the other classrooms, a map of the school, emergency papers, other interesting things. Oh, but _this_ number," he says, pointing to quickly scribbled handwriting in the corner, "is for _me_." Law's face blanks as he stares at the handwriting before glancing back up to him.

"Nami can really pick 'em," he mutters appreciatively, and Law pretends he doesn't hear as he gathers the objects. "I should be going, then," Law says awkwardly.

Dolflamingo nods twice. "Visit soon," is the call that echoes through the room as Law walks out of the lion's den.

—•—

Luffy sits in the small, bland kitchen by himself, eating cereal, glaring at the wall.

He really didn't want to go. He honestly, truly didn't want to go. Didn't want to move. He wanted to sleep everything off. But.

Ace would haunt him forever and always, and Luffy has accepted that. He really did. But.

Law was on his will, and that changes everything.

He's met everyone, or at least, heard directly from Ace about them, on the will. Except Law. His _doctor_ of all people.

Luffy didn't know during his stay at the hospital. But he knows now.

And if he doesn't figure out the connection between the man and his brother, he would, sooner rather than later, surely, collapse under everything.

So he gets ready to go. 'Getting ready' was an overstatement, though, as Luffy simply stayed in his comfy harem pants (his house suddenly started to provide new clothes, which fit perfectly, on occasion) and wrinkled white tee from the night before. He leaves his bed hair untouched. Luffy didn't bother to dress up because he would only be there until he got his information. The first twenty minutes or so. Then he'd leave.

He finishes his cereal and puts it in the sink, which was miraculously clean and tidy, though dirty and full the night before. Grabs his car keys from the small table by the door. It's not covered in dust, but shining and sparkling. His house was a hard worker, honestly.

Luffy sighs loudly before leaving for his high school, re-entering society after almost half a month on leave. The sun's too bright, the wind too windy, and the people too loud. He hates it outside. Luffy just wants to get it over with.

Get in. Talk to Law. Get out.

The teen enters his car and starts the engine with shaking hands. Takes a deep, shuddering breath.

He was going to be okay, he was going to be alright.

But really, was he? "I'm going to be okay. I'm going to be alright," Luffy repeats, pulling out of the parking lot. And. He's surprised he remembers how to drive. Three months felt like three decades.

Ignoring the churning in his stomach, he chooses to believe his lies.

**•I'm back! And lol about updating quicker. HAH. I personally loved writing the coffee shop scene, I was laughing by myself? Ok. Hmu with reviews, what do you all think? Until ch. 7! (I set a new record on longest chapter ever written ahh)•**


	7. Arrival

**•Im back with another chapter after a month XD I've been dying to write more angst for forever. I hope you enjoy!•**

_—Saddened seed, poor life, shivering, scared, alone. The rain above pounds upon the fighting life, pleading, begging, to be let out. The water above doesn't budge, and if anything, falls harder. It will not be shown, not given an iota of space, refusing to acknowledge its existence.—_

**7\. Arrival**

Law sits quietly in his classroom, glaring at the alarm clock on his organized desk. 8:43. School begins in seventeen minutes, and not a soul has arrived yet. Sighing, he leans back in his desk, sweating under his hot dress shirt. With weariness slowing his every movement, he eyes the bare room, fit with only twenty or so neglected desks, with chairs in the same condition. His nervousness had ebbed away into plain irritation in no less than ten minutes, and the fact that he was so worked up over such careless students annoyed him further.

Law leaned forward and reached for his lesson plans for the week, going over the few hurriedly scribbled notes before his first student enters his classroom. His gray eyes flicker to the woman standing in the door, a confident air around her, and Law doesn't bat an eye when she spots him and frowns. Rolling his eyes, he turn a page in his plans, listening to the soft sounds the woman makes as she finds a seat in the back and sits, immediately pulling out a phone and typing away.

Damned teenagers.

Keeping his snide remark to himself, which he's sure will become increasingly harder to do as the day drags on, the man ignores the next footsteps that arrive. And those after that, and the pairs that follow. Law looks up occasionally, casting lazy glances at the mere children before him. Some look bored, busying themselves with a strand of hair or their phones. Others look pissed, and rather than occupy themselves, glared at the wall, the floor, and a few even dared to glare at him. Oh, the many ways Law could reorganize their organs a into an unrecognizable heap of flesh if he had the energy or authority to retaliate. A small, yet sick, twisted smile stretched across his features, and some of the glares dissolved into slight fear.

"Have you always been so damned creepy?" a voice says from above him, and Law looks up in shock.

"Luffy-ya," he says plainly, eyes wide as the teen narrows his eyes at the surgeon, now teacher. "You're here?" And it's a question.

The black haired faces him, bending his knees to look him in the eyes directly. "Tell me everything you know about my brother," Luffy demands, the threat behind the soft words menacing and cold.

The man behind the desk narrows his eyes at the inquiry before a bell rings obnoxiously throughout the school, and a second later, an all too familiar voice clears his throat. "Mornin' seniors," the blonde sneers over the intercom, and Law shudders slightly.

"Hope you're having a _wonderful_ first day! I would also like to introduce a new member of our Grand Line Staff— _Law_." The introduced frowns deeply at the usage of his first name, as if they were very familiar. Doflamingo drawls out the syllables, an eerie satisfaction residing behind the name, and lightening bolts bury themselves in his spine.

"Well! I am glad you all have decided to attend this month long course. Get those credits! Wether you say the Pledge or not is up to your teachers. Bye bye~" A click sounds, and the class is silent. Law stands and looks at the entirety of the class for the first time since he had arrived. He would guess he had anywhere between twenty and twenty-five students. These many students needed more credits? If he had this much, he could only guess how much the other teachers had.

"Answer me," Luffy says harshly, his voice sharp and defiant.

Law looks at the teen, frown deep. He had had enough of him, especially when all the other students were watching their strange encounter.

"Sit down," Law orders, his voice cold, eyes unwavering. Luffy tilts his head up, attempting to look down on the man. "You don't tell me what to do, _Law_," Luffy spits, and the teacher's eyes twitch.

The students in the class quiet at the dispute between the two, obviously entranced. Luffy looks up at Law with hardened resolve in those dark eyes of his, and suddenly there's Ace, whispering for Law to take care of his younger brother, and his disappears into the wind, along with Law's anger.

He had a right.

"Sit down, please," Law repeats in a much softer tone, and the teen in front of him raises an eyebrow.

"Not until you answer my question," Luffy states. Laws glaze flickers to the waiting class, confused expressions adorning their young, mischievous faces. "You all can talk amongst yourselves for a few minutes."

The whole crown of teenagers immediately burst into conversation, and it's crazy how they were able to keep so quiet before. The older uses the noise to pull Luffy by the forearm out of the classroom, his feet barely touching the ground due to Law's speed. Soon, they were outside the room, the door closed, and Law sighs before looking Luffy straight in the eye.

"What the hell?" Was all Law managed, because what the _fuck_ was he doing here?

Luffy crosses his arms and glowers, throwing daggers into Law's skull. "I could ask you the same damned question. How in the hell do you know my brother?"

An irritated smile stretches across Law's lips. "I have a class to fucking run, ok, Luffy-ya? If you want a favor from someone, you don't get in their face and demand it. Don't be a damned child and go and sit like a good boy."

Lucy's face turns several shades of a fiery, angry red, and he opens his lips to say something, lips that were firmly cut off my Laws hand. "Is this something you want to be discussed in front of other people?" Law hisses impatiently, glancing back towards the wide window embedded in the door.

Luffy narrows his eyes and follows Laws gaze to the door, binds divvying the sunlight into narrow strips of black and white on the wall behind them. Gulping, the teens eyes soften, admitting defeat, and Law removes his hand from the teen's mouth. He absentmindedly rubs the moisture that resided on his pants, and turns back to Luffy.

"See me after class if you want to know things," Law says, "but absolutely _no_ interruptions or inquires during the school day."

Luffy frowns and asks, "Why?" But Law has ignored the question, walking past him and back into the rowdy classroom, the noise increasing with each passing second. The man narrows his eyes at the class. "Hey, you all. Be quiet," he calls out loudly, and was completely ignored. And he wasn't a man who liked to repeat himself.

He had saw a predicament like this coming, and had discussed it with Shachi beforehand. It was then when his assistant had thought of a perfect plan to procure silence from the teens again, and Law had agreed wholeheartedly. He opened up his laptop, logged on, and pulled up the video Shachi send to him...of an open heart surgery he preformed, accompanied by a detailed synopsis of the procedure. After fiddling with the correct digits and gadgets, it was on the wide screen provided for him in class. Satisfied, he sits back and watches the video with feigned interest.

It took no less than a minute for the noise to die down before cutting off completely, and the smirk Law wore on his face grew into an all out grin. The murmurs of disgust and cringing, stupefied students were more than enough gratification to satisfy his sadistic streak. He had been running low since his encounter with Luffy.

After a few minutes of the gut wrenching commentary and blood, Law switched off the video and turned to his horrified students. He hadn't even noticed the black haired teen entering from their talk outside, but he was watching Law with pursed lips, but amused eyes. How was he supposed to react to that? Law looks at them all with a smirk. "Now then. Let's start with attendance."

—•—

Marco rolled his eyes and drew his lips into a straight line, even though the person open the opposite end of the phone couldn't possibly see it. But, it seemed that she could hear it.

"_Enough_ with the attitude already," sighs the investigator over the phone, "why is getting information out of you always such a task?"

"Hmm," Marco hums for a second, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "maybe because you've used Ace's name at least ten times without a hint of respect."

"Honey, to me, people need to earn respect before they get it. And I'm sorry, but seeing as I don't know Ace, I really can't revere his mere existence," Koala sighs tiredly.

"Look here..." Marco begins with a growl, and Koala cuts him off with vicious hushing. "Just listen, ok?" she pleads, and it's harder than it has to be for him to seal his lips.

Her relieved, smile shines over the phone. "Good."

Marco settles back down against the couch in his rented apartment, as his house needed to be avoided for a few months, because everything about it screamed Ace. And that just couldn't do. But now, as he looks around the compact space, he realized that taping a hundred plus copies of the man's will around the room was not helping, either.

He was hellbent on tearing himself down, and Marco just let himself do it.

"Alright, so about Ace's murderer," Koala begins, and a sound of paper shuffling sounds from over the receiver. Marcos grip tightens. "do you know anything about why he why he bailed Trafalgar Law from prison a few months back?"

Marco's caught off caught by the question, and he temporarily has a blank. "Trafalgar...Law? He's on Ace's will, assuming his last name is Trafalgar. But what does that have to do with his murder? Wait...are you trying to say—"

"Don't go jumping to conclusions without evidence, Marco," Koala hisses coldly, and another shuffling of papers is heard, accompanied with a loud thump. A string of curses sound from the other end, and Marco listens with a slight smirk.

"You okay there?"

"Don't fuck with me, okay? Just...just hold on," she grunts, and annoyance is laced into that once powerful voice of hers. A few moments later, she gathers herself together, coughing lightly. "Ok. So anyway, I've found out a bit about the history between the two, care to lend an ear?"

"Spit it out," Marco says, and the _woman_ is left unsaid, an improvement, he'd guess. Koala notices the change, and Marco could feel the smile on the opposite end of phone.

"So this Law I've found, yeah? He was apparently a part of this crazy family that wreaked havoc over a decade ago. They go by the name Donquixote, have you heard of them?"

Marco frowns slightly, thinking. "It doesn't sound familiar," he finally responds, and Koala hums in agreement. "But what does that have to do with Ace?" Marco pushes, and the orange haired sighs.

"This Donquixote family, they were absolutely insane. They broke, please spare me the sarcastic laugh, so many laws it's ridiculous. But apparently, Law, still a little kid, about ten at the time, ran away from them. Around then the Family were near a place called the Gray Terminal. Ace grew up around there, too."

When Marco stays silent, hoping for more of the story that doesn't come, he begins to explode. "Well? What happened?"

Koala says, "Well, I'm not exactly sure what personally happened, as even I can't delve into such small details thirteen years ago, but what I can do is infer. Law ran away while the Family was at the Gray Terminal, were Ace grew up. If they were to meet, it must've been there."

"Hey, there a fire, right?" Marco suddenly pipes up, and silence greets him for a few seconds. "H- How do you know that?" the investigator asks, and Marco manages a weak smile.

"Luffy used to tell me things," he says quietly, and Koala responds with an equally quiet, "Oh." The words addressed a problem much bigger, much more personal, the both of them knew, and Marco mentally kicked himself because this was not what he needed now, but.

"So, um," Koala begins again, "the night there was a fire Trafalgar Law, and I'm going strictly on assumptions here, met Portgas D. Ace. Words must've been exchanged, and the two became friends. Otherwise, why else would Law bail him out of jail over a decade later?"

"So, assuming they are friends," Marco begins levelly, "why was Ace, as you put it, killed? Does it have anything to do with this Law bastard? Because if it does, I'm gonna—"

"Now that," Koala cuts, shuffling papers yet again, "I doubt. They must've been friends, right? Trafalgar Law wouldn't kill him right after breaking him out of jail."

Marco's heart steels at the mere thought, and cold murder flickers through his mind. Law was the first person, high on his suspect list, and he didn't even know he had one. Fuck, he didn't even know he was going along with the idea that Ace was killed until a mere second ago. And it burns in his chest, a low, hard static sound, and it echoes in his ears and drowns out the world outside. And he almost laughs when it suddenly becomes night.

...

"...-co? Marco?"

The inquired stirs slightly, blinking away the darkness from his eyes. The forgotten phone lay limply in his arm, the woman on the other end too loud, too noisy, too much, so he turns it off.

This Law person really pissed him off. Despite the fact that he didn't know anything about him, Ace told him absolutely nothing. Marco takes a deep breath. Marco thought he got over talking about Ace, and he was. But. Thinking about him was a completely different ball game, especially when such an important fact was just brought to his attention. Ace told him _nothing_, and he was the man who was his supposed best friend for years on end. They knew everything about each other.

Except for Law.

A wave of jealously washed over him, leaving him dry and bare and his emotions naked, and he blinks rapidly to keep frustrated tears at bay. He was getting all worked up over a damned stranger who was, for all he knew, millions of miles away from him. With a heavy heart embedded deep within his being, it's pretty damned hard to peel himself off of the couch and force himself to walk. He needed air, fresh, free, flowing air, not the stale air inside of his apartment. Marco walks towards the door and opens it, breathing deeply. A gust of wind greets him and gently caresses his face. He scrunches up his features at the surplus of air. Huh. Still not enough.

It's funny how often he wasn't getting enough oxygen.

—•—

Luffy doesn't know how he got through the whole entirety of the school day without losing his mind. Every single class was filled with condensed anger for Law, for not telling him about Ace when he asked. Luffy wasn't supposed to spend seven hours of his life dying when he was already dead, and it's all Law's damned fault for not giving him other fucking options. All because he's so dedicated to _teaching_ of all professions.

It was the last class of the day and Luffy is sitting on the edge of a dangerous, rocky cliff that spirals downwards into dark, violent, angry depths. His eye twitches as his infamous teacher—lucky him, he got Smoker again—explains worthless shit to him in such a dull, lifeless voice that it's a wonder half the students in his class can even attempt to listen.

He looks around, and some of the people from the school year are there. The tall afro guy, he's still there, his dirty magazine replaced with pure porn. Rolling his eyes, Luffy's gaze switches to the black haired woman, who now sits behind him, and has immersed herself in some book. If Luffy tilted his head a certain way, the word _Ruins_ could be seen. The other students were either too irrelevant or too boring to take notice of or eye, so Luffy ignored them, and vice versa.

Sighing loudly, which earned a dirty look from the white haired older, Luffy stares at the clock intently, urging it silently to go as fast as possible. But of course, the little circular object continues to tick on impassively, unwilling to defy any laws of space and time for him. The teen frowns at it.

"Luffy, can you answer my question?" Smoker asks with narrowed, cold eyes. The student stands and gives him the finger. "Fuck your question, and fuck this school," he hisses, and storms off with the eyes of his peers on him.

"Wait, Luffy!" is the last thing the man says to him before the black haired slams the door, abruptly cutting off the sentence. Luffy's angry, more than before, and he realizes his mood has been all,over the place today. Especially since his conversation with Law. But it was like everything had Ace's name written on it, and likewise with Law's, and the names to Luffy are like oil and water, but in reality, it's water and salt. They almost, in a sense, belong to one another, that connection between them, because no one else knew of it. It was sacred, something Luffy couldn't touch, but it was just within his reach, all he had to do was grab it, and he wanted to _know_. But Law had postponed that opportunity, and hell if he was gonna let it get away.

"Law!" Luffy calls out roughly upon barging into Law's classroom. Blinking a few times, Luffy tsks in annoyance. No one resides within the room anymore, and it seemed to be cleaned up, ready for locking and the next day. Where the hell did Law go? He knew that he told Luffy to wait until after school, so where the hell is he five minutes before then?

Realization strikes Luffy, and a string of curses are let loose from his young lips. Law didn't seem like the type of person who lies, but he's human after all, and don't we all? He runs from the class, leaving the door ajar, and high tails it to the next place he could think of, to the only person who Luffy was almost certain knew where Law was.

"I'll be okay, I'll be alright," Luffy chants, words falling from his lips before he can catch them, "We'll be okay, we'll be alright." The words force themselves into the air, where they're dissolved and forgotten, a mere memory of the past, a memory of his Calendar.

...

"So," drawls the blonde before him, and if Luffy wasn't in such a rush, he'd probably twitch under the intent gaze the principal gave him. The situation was very uncomfortable and Luffy was very conscious. "You want to know where Law went, hmm?"

"Yeah," says Luffy with stone hard eyes. "Where the hell is he?"

Tilting his head to the side, the principal feigned infuriation. "That's no way to treat one of your teachers, you know? And why are you out earlier than the others?"

It was just then when the bell signaling the end of hell sounded, and the instantaneous noise that followed almost deafens the dark haired. Luffy purses his lips, and he speaks a bit loudly than usual. "I...I need some tutoring in his class. And he told me to see him right after school. I was allowed out early."

Doflamingo regards him carefully, and Luffy shrugs. He just needed to know what occurred between Law and Ace, and he need to know _now_. This man was holding him back, and this was his last day here anyway, so why Luffy bothered to show him respect, he had no idea. But he needed to improve himself, and oh well, this is a good step. Just. He needs this information. And each passing second was like a punch to the gut.

The man before him sighs, relenting. "He doesn't have an last hour, so he gets off early. Better catch him before he leaves."

Luffy grunts, acknowledging the words before turning and speeding off once again, and his feet begins to ache because he's running so fast, so hard, but it's nothing compared to the ache in his soul, so he's okay.

Doflamingo watches him go with interest alive in his eyes. "None of the students have that much attitude," he mutters, shuffling papers on his desk until he comes across a familiar looking profile. "Monkey D. Luffy," he whispers, and he wets his dry lips.

"What a fascinating boy."

—•—

Nervousness ate at him again as Law chewed on Ritz crackers from within his parked car, clutching the box hard enough for the cardboard to wrinkle. Now that the question of his and Ace's relationship was in the air, he's not exactly sure how to respond, hell, he wasn't sure if he even _wanted_ to respond. What happened between them is secret, and he wanted it to stay that way. But his _little brother _was suffering because of the his death, even more than Law was inside, if even possible. They were siblings, and that's a strong ass bond, one that Law couldn't and wouldn't break, and of course Luffy had a right to be mad at him, he has every right in the book. If your brother was dead, and someone knew him, something about him even the sibling didn't, then of course they'd want answers.

Regardless, it's pain in the ass.

He swallows and reaches for more salted goodness. Thinking. His mind travels back, to when he first heard of Ace in jail, when he bailed him out, and Ace looked at him as one to a stranger. The man didn't remember him for some reason, yet he remembered Ace. Something happened, an outside force, that messed with the both of them, and ended up with Ace's death. It was just that outside influence that Law questioned, and he was just as clueless about that as Luffy is about the two of them.

Law sets down his secret food and closes his eyes, pressing the lids onto his orbs as tightly as possible, until it almost hurt, and that's when his eyes snapped open and flew to the left. Luffy stood outside the open window, watching him with a strange expression on his face. Annoyance stood out mostly, and that was to be expected. Anxiety and depression lay under that, like layers of a cake, maybe sadness, if Law really took a swing at it. But. Something else, too. Interest? Amusement?

Entrancement?

"Mugiwara-ya," Law says, and the nickname just slips out so easily, into the open between them, and a ghost of a smile graces Luffy's lips. But it's gone in a split second, and Law wonders if he had imagined it. He clears his throat. "Luffy-ya."

"Let me in?" Luffy asks softly, the intonation higher towards the end of the inquiry, and Law nods stiffly and reaches over to the right and unlocks the door. Luffy walks around the car and pauses slightly before opening the door and settling himself in.

Law leans back into his seat tiredly and doesn't look at Luffy, just focused straight ahead because, well. The teen would probably give him a glare and maybe even a sneer, and he was so mentally worn out that he wouldn't be able to answer with one of his own. After over a hundred rowdy, moody teenagers in under seven hours would be enough to exhaust anyone. Law's walls were up though, and up high. "Luffy-ya," he begins warningly, and the teen in question turns to him, and it's two hands up. "Shut up, please? Ok? And let's just talk over some, hell I don't know, some Baratie? I'm really hungry."

Luffy doesn't say anything further, and turns to the window.

Ok, what the hell?

Law opens his mouth, then closes it. He decides to be compliant, partly to dissolve any remaining tension in the air, and partly because, while the boy pissed him off into next week, he was an interesting one. He puts his key in its ignition, and steals a final glance at the teen beside him. It was because of him that his bank account was dealt blow after blow almost daily, because of him that Law practically babysat the black haired during his time in the hospital, and because of him that he was even doing this, and willingly. Was it for Ace? Was it for Ace's little brother?

Or was it for Luffy?

"Annoying little shit," Law mutters, his lips twitching ever so slightly upwards as he pulls out of the parking space. "Fine."

**•*exhales deeply* I really feel iffy on this chapter but! It has been written! I had the most serious case of writers block, like I had no idea what the hell to do, just stared at a blank screen forever XD Hope you like, drop me a review (: hope you enjoyed &amp; see you in the next chapter!•**


	8. Bittersweet

**And another month whizzes by. I barely have time to write anymore, and I feel as if the weekends are my only breaks. Well, I'll try to update at least then, so wait for me!**

—_The seed is not alone. There resides another, who suffers the same, but grows regardless, indifferently. The first seed watches in fascination as its friend breaks through the surface, withstanding the rain, taking a glimpse at the dead gray pond._—

**8\. Bittersweet**

Law glances at Luffy curiously, with searching eyes and a pursed mouth, gingerly nursing a glass of dark wine. Sunlight filters in through the drawn blinds, painting sharp angles on the desk and comfortable seats accompanying the furniture. The couple chooses a secluded seat, away from the commotion of the crowds. Luffy didn't look at him for the majority of the ride there, much less speak to him, so Law didn't expect much out of the encounter. Well, that's what he told himself, and it's a weird feeling he swiftly and quickly dismisses.

"I have things to do, and it's okay if you don't want to talk about Ace, because believe me, I don't either. But I'm not about to spend my time babysitting you if you're not going to at least look at me," Law says irritably, sighing into the glass he brings to his lips. "I'm busy."

The dark haired across from him takes a shuddering breath, one from the depths of his chest, and eyes Law warily. "How do you know my brother?" And it's the question of the whole damned day.

The teacher leans back, staring at the ceiling, thinking, and thinking hard before giving an answer. "There are many ways to answer that," he begins slowly, Luffy's there, in his face, eyes wide and red and livid.

"Tell me everything," he hisses, biting off the words.

Law raises an eyebrow as Luffy calmly settles himself back down into the seat, even flashing the waiter a smile as he sets down the food with an expect, experienced hand. When did the blonde come, and how long was he there? It doesn't matter, because soon he shows us his sharp, suit clothed back, black and stiff and proper as he walks away, professionalism embedded into his presence. Law absentmindedly regards his walking away, and it's back to thinking. "Ace and I were friends," Law whispers, closing his eyes against the flood of memories. "We were small, dirty things, both stealing away from families we didn't like."

Law eyes soften at the past, the happy times, at least, and a soft smile graces his closed off features. The teen across tries not to stare, but he does, because, fuck, Ace made that expression, he used to, he did. Ace. Damn the world, Ace.

Gulping, Luffy listens attentively, leaning forwards on bony elbows and

narrows his eyes, full dark orbs focusing only on Law, and the man grimaces slightly at the intensity. It's a bit. Huh. Overwhelming.

"And what about Ace?" Luffy says quietly.

Law sets down his wine, not realizing he's been gripping the glass for well over ten minutes now, and sighs. "It's a complicated story. All I knew of Ace at the time was that he lived with others not related to him, and the same applied to me. We were both mad at the world, but the world was generous, I guess, in letting us meet."

The man from before walks towards them, causing Law to drift off mid conversation. With a snarl, Luffy swirls on him. fangs bared and fierce irritation adorning his young features. His brow twitches downwards in confusion before stiffly bowing, sharp and jagged in movement, setting down the neat, small book with their bill. The sun-colored hair hid exactly one eye, exactly one swirly eyebrow, and exactly half of a smile Law wasn't completely sure was genuine. His gray, conflicting eyes travel back down to his student, whose eyes told the man to piss off.

He needed his Ritz crackers.

Luffy watches the man leave their presence for the final time, and he turns back to Law. With barely contained excitement, he asks, "So Ace?"

The older throws him a look, pointedly and sympathetically. If he stopped to think about it in medical terms, he'd say Luffy was in such a stage of grief where he's not sure what to do with his emotions. Not sure where to place him. And he has no one. Poor teen, poor student, poor Luffy.

Law sips gratefully on the wine, and it's suddenly easier for the words to slip out of his mouth, a recalling of the past. "I remember it was raining really hard that day, and I was running from Dolflamingo again. He...he was there, just in the forest, looking up at the sky and crying along with the rain, so I. I stopped and looked up, asking him why he was crying, and he looks at me with this expression and I just—"

Luffy waves a hand, shaking his head slowly. "Calm down," he says softly. Law blinks at him, and realizes his breath was coming out in shallow huffs, because he was digging up the past again. It should stay there, in the past, forever and always. But he was bringing it back up again, because of this student, and what Ace and he had was, at least to him, a sacred, treasured friendship.

And he didn't care how others saw it.

It's slightly embarrassing, too, because here he was, breaking down in front of his student, and it was his student there for him. But he wasn't just a student, he was Ace's brother.

And Luffy.

Law gets up suddenly, and he doesn't want to say it here. Not here, not in public, not now, not around people. If he was going to speak of his treasure, of his beautifully twisted yet bittersweet past, it was going to be in private and, he only wanted Luffy to hear. It wasn't anyone else's business. He wouldn't even be Luffy's if he wasn't Ace's brother.

But he is, and Ace is dead, and the past has a right to exist in the present, in a way.

"Let's go," Law says slowly, dragging on the words in an extensive manner, eyes on Luffy, yet mind thirteen years in the past. He throws a crumpled twenty on the table, nodding slightly towards the approaching waiter, whose gait insinuated business.

Luffy follows him, his face an impassive, blank canvas. It's was a queer thing, his mood swings, but Law didn't put it past him much. It was an awkward walk out of the restaurant, where the doors are pushed open and chilly air greets them, despite it being early summer. Warm sun rains down on them, illuminating Law's face, creating an earthly type of halo. Sharp wind parts for them as they walk against the impending nature, and Luffy's wincing, but Law stares straight ahead.

It's serene in a sense, if one were to look from afar. But the air around them is tense and heavy, a melancholy weight on their shoulders, as snowfall upon the ground. It's cold and unwavering, steadfast and prominent, yet the two bear it, silence stretching on endlessly. Crunching grass underfoot, Law steps into his car and leans to open the door for Luffy, who simply stares at him, an emotion within his brown gaze he couldn't quite place.

"What is it, Luffy-ya?" Law asks, making sure the inquiry is unbiased, open, and ready to listen for responses.

Luffy swallows and gets in the car, studying Law's face carefully. His quiet behaviors elicits something close to an raised eyebrow from Law, and Luffy sucks in a shaky breath, a hint of a flush on those tanned, rounded cheeks.

What the hell?

"Are you alright, Luffy?" leaves Law's mouth, and there's an emotion, clear as daylight. Concern. He feels himself reaching out towards his head, looking for a fever because hell, the way he carried himself, constantly stressed and sad, it would make sense if he got sick once in a while.

The younger dodges the offending limb, eyes wide and a darker blush adorning his cheeks. Law's hand retreats slightly, and it hangs in midair for a millisecond before dropping limply to his side. "Yeah, I'm fine Ace," he whispers, slipping into the car and staring down into his lap.

Ace.

Law swallows hard, and tries not to hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he starts the engine and pulls out with careful, predetermined movements. He blows hot air through clenched teeth, eyes turned, steeled on the road, and hell if he looked at his company. The incident hurt more than he let on, so he let it be. Never brought it up again. Pretend it didn't happen. Act like he wasn't drowning.

It bothers him even more when he realizes the incident won't fade into the background.

Law tried not to look upset when Luffy called him Ace again that same evening, especially while flashing him the biggest and most beautiful smile in the world. He pushed the fact he thought Luffy's smile was beautiful to the back of his mind, as it was a thought he would rather not deal with right now. He sits in the Monkey apartment, restraining his own movement on the couch with legs crossed, yet his heart was open, beat, and bruised. It was an area not yet scoured in the depths of his soul, and to experience this with a student, with a patient. This was. Well.

Painful.

"Hey, Ace, where were you all this time?" Luffy had smiled wide, eyes sparkling at the thought of his beloved brother back. Law coughed lightly. The room was getting smaller, more twisted and lopsided, and it took more energy than it should for Law to remain upright on the couch.

Law does the safe thing and dodges the bullets aimed for his heart. If only he moved sooner, because some had already lodged deep. "I grew up with a man named Doflamingo," Law begins, eyes closed tightly, subtly ignoring the question. A large, conniving smile split the tan man's face from within his mind, a disturbing giggle escaping his upturned lips. "He was a man of great power and money. Yet, his heart was wicked and rotten. My family died and through certain circumstances, I ended up with him."

Luffy listened rather offhandedly, partly paying attention to the winding tale. "It was rough, being with the man. He worked me to death, trained me to death, and more than a few time I was actually dying," Law continues, a rueful smile gracing his lips. "So one day, I decided to run away."

"What does this have to do with my brother?" Luffy rubs his temples slightly. "Either shut it and tell me or hurry the fuck up and get out of my apartment."

Shock silences the man for a few seconds, lips partly open, mind reeling. It sent his brain into overdrive, and he immediately shut down, all vaults pertaining to his past closed, and closed tight. No more. "Ok, you know what," Law says, and he stands unsteadily. His head was spinning, his heart pounding, and he was tired from teaching. It was, what, five pm, and he was ready to sleep. He was ready for a break. From Luffy. From this whole situation. He needed away. "I'll just leave."

"Wait, what?"

The teacher shoulders his bags, striding swiftly past the younger and out the door, straightening the shoes haphazardly strewn about before he exits. Law stands outside the door for a spell, cursing quietly against the smooth wood. He follows the independent, swirling design expertly carved into the with narrowed eyes. Law begins walking down towards his own apartment, and a hand clamps over his mouth. Painted lips curve upwards into a satisfied smirk, and determined, ocean blue eyes hide behind dark, ombré glasses.

"Trafalgar Law, correct?" the woman whispers, and the older eyes her steadily, resolve firm and absolute. He's been in numerous situations such as the one at hand, and judging from her stature and the grip of her hand on his mouth, she wasn't physically strong. But a glance into her eyes shows she had the mental capabilities of a queen. "Perhaps I should better my approach?" she then suggests.

With a gloved hand, she lowers her sunglasses to look at Law directly. "Portgus D. Ace's friend, Trafalgar D. Water Law? We would like to ask you a few questions."

—•—

Luffy knew he was barely coping throughout the day, and he swore he was seeing things ever since the lunch with Law. The day went from one end of his emotion spectrum to the other, from dark to light, from happy to sad and all and every emotion in between. He knew he was a mess, he knew, but he couldn't fix it. It wasn't his fault that Law started turning into Ace halfway through the meal. It wasn't his fault that Law did things that his brother used to do, like sudden, sharp decisions, a certain narrowing of the eyes, or the way he carries himself. It all started to resemble his brother more and more and then he just called him Ace.

Because that's just who he was.

First when they we're in the car, because Ace always worried about Luffy's well-being, and there he was worrying yet again. He was such a fretting older brother, but Luffy loved that about him.

Luffy blinks. Law then replaced Ace, and there's hurt deep, barely visible in those stormy eyes of his. When did he come?

It's a silent drive home, and Law doesn't look at him, for reasons which Luffy couldn't quite comprehend. It puzzled him, the man's behavior, from the time they were in the restaurant to the time they entered the car, to the time they arrived at Luffy's apartment. It's quiet, too quiet, and although the world around them buzzed on as if nothing was wrong, everything was. Nothing was right.

It was silent to Luffy.

They enter and his vision was blurring again, from Law to Ace and back again. When they enter, it's Law's back he sees, but the man turns, and it's his brother. So when he makes room for Luffy to pass, as Ace always used to do, it's the good old regular normal Ace that he addresses. What brother doesn't ask where his sibling was?

Yet when he inquiries him, it's Law again, and he's more hurt than before. His expression reveals nothing, but it's his eyes, a wavering stone, mouth curved neither upwards or downwards, but straight in an emotionless equilibrium. Words were exchanged, and Luffy's mad. He hasn't...he hasn't heard anything about Ace. What was the point of his teacher being here if he wasn't going to talk about his brother? That was the whole point, the only reason he even asked the guy for lunch, he was the only source of information. The only place to learn more about his older brother. Law was only talking about his fucking backstory. No one cares, especially Luffy, and he just wanted to know about Ace.

Law's out the door and Luffy is left alone again.

As usual.

The teen stares after the man, regret building up in his throat, bringing the angry words and feisty snaps from the tip of his tongue. Something was wrong with him, he realized. Something so very wrong. Maybe he should've realized earlier. The noiseless air bites at him, and it's hard to tell which silence was worse; the one with Law or this empty, lonely one.

Hie goes to his Calendar, and barely glances at the other previous days. 'Ace is dead' glares back at him, dark and hurried scribbles adorning the page, words of depression and sadness and pain. Pain so deep and powerful that he knocks Luffy off his feet, and, poor him, there's no one to pick him up. On the floor he would lay, sad and alone. There's nothing worse on this world than loneliness, he could say, if it weren't for Ace dying.

He closes his eyes and releases a shaky breath. Luffy needed to get himself together. He couldn't stay this way forever. He twirls a pen, thoughtful, and then writes something new. It's a turning point, he knew, but how, he wasn't sure. It signified a new birth, a cornerstone of something better and new and amazing. Luffy didn't hold high hopes, but he could feel Sabo and Ace doing it for him.

_Lunch w/ Law_

Luffy could've smiled, but he didn't. These words were written rather nearly neatly, a stark contrast to the rushed handwriting from before. It's new, something Luffy would have to get used to. It's the beginning of fixing things. Himself?

He hoped.

"I have to apologize," he whispers, opening the fridge and scouring the contents for food. "Fuck my life, I have to change."

He removes the milk, and behind the gallons is a note. Folded, neat and proper, with Luffy's name printed in smooth, easy writing. The teen blinks confusedly. Who else besides him got into his fridge?

With careful hands and cold fingers, he unfolds it, and scans the paper carefully. "'What would you like?'" Luffy reads, eyebrows drawing together. "What the hell?"

The dark haired looks around the tiny kitchen. Was there someone else here? After a quick run around he small apartment, his conclusion proved false. He glances at the writing again. Maybe his fridge was taking to him. Maybe he was crazy...crazier than he already was. Regardless, he writes his response below the acute writing.

_More meat and soda_

Everyone needed more meat in their lives, he believed, and soda wouldn't hurt. Yeah. It's okay. He's alright. It'll be okay. Luffy'll be alright. He hoped so. Replacing the note back into the cold retainer, he closes the fridge, appetite gone, and walks away from it all.

—•—

The dark lights outside filter through the nearly transparent curtain, a cheap, dollar one from the store. It shines weakly on Law's face, his cheek, rather, and it irritates him more than the woman in front of him. She's cocky and resilient, with hard, deep blue eyes, staring into Law's own, touching the dark places of his soul, where his secrets reside. It ticks him off, that calculating stare.

The dark room they sat in was bleak, nearly lightless. The teacher sat in a vintage wooden chair, creaking, unstable, but stable enough. He glared across the empty, unfurnished blue table to the orange haired woman who introduced herself as Koala, and her company, Marco. The same man who visited Luffy in the hospital. Conversation with him was awkward, cut, choppy, so it was avoided. Marco, however, didn't seem to think this way, and yelled at him outright, a bold decision and move.

"I have no obligation whatsoever to tell you people anything about me or Ace," Law spits, and there's more than a nerve hit. The blonde from behind her tsks, and Law narrows his eyes sat him. He's a lanky, tall one, with haunted eyes and a smiling mouth. It's a terrifyingly contradicting, yet harmonious combination. Law could understand his expression very well.

It didn't mean he liked it, but oh well.

The woman sighs. "Even if we could solve his murder?"

Law swallows the rejection forming in his throat, and folds his arms. "Was it necessary to ask for an interrogation in such a rough manner? I could call the fucking police."

"Honey, we are the police. Well, we have a close enough connection that anything you tell them is only going to come back to me," she chuckles.

"How in the living fuck did you know Ace, Law?" Marco hisses, eyes wide and on fire, posture rigid and stiff. "How the _hell_ did you?"

"If I'm not gonna tell her," he begins levelly, nodding towards the frowning investigator across from him, "then do you honestly expect me to tell _you_?"

Marco chokes a bit, surprised at such a rude addressing, and he's about to retort when Koala slaps black clothed hands on the table. "The both of you, that's _enough_ okay?"

To Law, "Stop being so fucking immature. I expected more from you, Mr. Trafalgar." She whirls on her partner, "And you, if I hear the word Ace from your mouth one more time I'm gonna rip it off, do you understand? I'm sick and tired of it!"

There's an awkward, drawn out silence between the trio, with Koala buries her hand in her hair, sighing deeply. Law doesn't feel sorry, because he shouldn't. He was taken by these two with no rhyme of reason, just to be questioned over Ace. But it was Ace, so maybe these measures were acceptable.

Law's shoulders drop, resolve crumpling beneath his feet, and he's already fallen, already hit the ground floor. That's why he's able to talk so easily. That's why the words come from his mouth and enter the air with such ease.

That's why he says, "Ace died because of me."

**Soooo this chapter was really crappy in my opinion. Like. Holy shit that was so bad XD. I'm honestly thinking of rewriting it, especially considering how much material I have left. Hmm. Anywho, I hope you got some tiny enjoyment from this regardless, and I'll see you in the next chapter! (P.S., sorry for the over a month long wait, I suck at life in general.) **


	9. Apologies

**•Hi guys! Its been forever, so I'll just cut to the chase with the chapter!•**

—_The seed breaks through the surface, a fearless act of courage. It fights through the rain, through the storm, through the black. The lake acknowledges his efforts. The other seed doesn't; it instead looks up enviously, wishing it had such strength._—

**9\. Apologies**

Luffy decides to go back to Summer School the next day, and no, it wasn't because of Law. Nor was it, for some strange reason, because of Ace. It was because of himself, because he wanted to.

Well, he tells himself that.

The sunlight shines through the open window, bringing in warm air and bright rays of sun. A normal person would've smiled at nature's little blessing. Luffy doesn't. But that's okay, since he's in a better mood than he's been in months, and that has to count for something, right?

He opens the fridge, and he isn't surprised anymore at the large amount of food, with meat and soda specifically in abundance. It's become a normal thing, a ritual of sorts, something expected and known. Luffy's never questioned, and he never will. What he will question, however?

Law.

He's always been a question mark, an unknown value in his equation of life.

He pulls out some bacon, and starts to prepare it, thinking over what happened the previous night. His conversation with his teacher was rather strange, but enlightening, and the contradiction made both sense and none at all in his twisted mind. Luffy was simply out of it, no if, ands or buts, and he felt sorry. He was going to apologize today. He should've. His actions, his calling Law 'Ace', was much too hurtful. It was too much.

He often forgets that he's not the only one suffering.

Law must be too. After all, Ace and Law had been friends long before Luffy was even in the equation.

The sudden realization makes Luffy pause, eyes wide open. Of course. He should've known.

Luffy licks his lips absentmindedly, removing the bacon from heat and placing them on a plate, and pulling out a cold bagel from the fridge. It'd have to do for breakfast, because his appetite had suddenly plummeted. Its Law's fault. No, it was wrong to blame him for his incompetence.

It's Luffy's fault.

He eats quickly, shoving the deliciousness in, all the while glancing steadily at the clock. He was going to do this. Luffy finished with gusto, quickly placing the plate in the sink and stealing to his room, hoping to make himself presentable in the twenty or so minutes he had remaining of the bright morning.

But before that.

He walks towards his Calendar, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. It's June 1st already. A new month, a new leaf. Luffy has finally turned it, and he wanted to keep it this way, sure. He'd have his days, but this was his Calendar.

He had to form it, make it his own. He writes:

_I'm gonna apologize to Law today. _

If only it went as smoothly as he wrote it.

—•—

"I'm sorry, Law, last night I was just...no, no," Luffy mutters to himself, hands tight while gripping the stirring wheel. The morning didn't welcome his apology, glaring back at him with yellow arcs of sun.

Luffy managed to pick himself up somewhat, having dragged himself to his car after throwing on skinny jeans with converse, and a nice tee. Though the minutes seemed to want to lazily roll by, hours have passed in Luffy's mind. He said he was going to apologize, and of course he meant it...but how?

If he thought too hard his face would pink at the idea.

Luffy's heart hammered in his chest, and there's five minutes until Grand Line, until he'd apologize, and everything would be forgotten. He hopes. Luffy went too far, he knew that, and even if it wasn't on purpose, even if what he saw was fake, the hurt in Law's eyes were real. His teacher having emotions such as those he exposed the previous night was a slap across the face to Luffy, and his insensitive assumptions drove him to the actions he was taking now. Its just. It's mean, cruel, if one were to go as far, and Law deserved a well thought out, well worded apology.

Luffy sighs, biting his lip. "I, um, sorry for, what I said last night," he proclaims with an air of confidence, one soon popped by himself out of shame. Embarrassment flooded his cheeks, and he shakes his head vigorously. That he had to and grovel generously before the very man he threatened and pestered for information not long ago was beyond humiliating. It was abhorring, a stain to his swollen pride, and a stab to his heart.

Suddenly, the school is at his right, and his head is completely out of ideas. He hadn't thought of one at all, and the encounter Law was soon to receive was going to be one of the lowest, pride-wise, events of his life.

Luffy swallows and pulls into the parking lot.

He quickly parks his car, not missing the detail of him being the only student on time, and exits with an air of purpose. He was going to do this, he needed to do this, even if it went in the complete opposite direction of his intention, it was a morality thing. A human thing. It's not right to leave it as it was.

Dark, round orbs search the parking lot as he walks towards his school, narrowing at the obscure amount of cars. Law's wasn't there.

Luffy swallows and clears his throat. "Maybe he parked elsewhere," he murmurs, calming himself and as he makes way to the school doors, and opens them.

The halls are empty, the emptiest he's seen them in a while, and Luffy sometimes forgets how enormous his school is sometimes. The familiarity doesn't stop him, however, as he begins to make his way towards the classroom in which he was was to apologize to Law in. His heart started beating in his ears again, to the point where that was all he could hear, and his face was a healthy shade of light pink. He might not even be here, who knew, but if he really was, then he'd have to ready himself to apologize.

There's no way he'd be able to properly show his regret if he didn't.

Luffy reaches the classroom, hand on the cold knob. The blinds on the windows are drawn, the class dark. He narrows his eyes at the door, and gives it a turn. It opens, chilly air messaging his face as he steps into the threshold. There's not a soul. Luffy scans the empty room, frowning. He had readied himself, worried over this, fussed over this, all for nothing?

Cursing quietly, he slams the door shut, stalking away from the room. Law should've been there, so he could get it over with, but no. Of course.

Luffy draws his mouth into a straight line, face impassive and gray. But staying mad wasn't going to solve any problems. He had to think rationally, or, at least, as rational as he would let himself think.

He was improving, he could feel it, and the only obstacle was himself and his lack of information.

Luffy walks back down the dull hallway, eying the walls lazily, deep in thought. "If Law isn't in the classroom," he pounders aloud, "then where the fuck..." The Principal's Office. It was the most plausible of all the places that popped in his mind, and he'd have to go there for the classroom key, anyway. It was just the creepy, unnerving principle that rubbed him the other way.

The student steels his resolve. He would have to endure it. This was for Law, for this apology that had to be made. Not to mention that the man still had information about his brother that even he didn't know, an irritation which irked him to no end.

Luffy tucked the feeling away for the moment.

He walks carefully to the center of the school, it's heart. The halls, veins, pumping students in and out, keeping it alive and healthy. A reason the school was down to shit in awfulness? The principal itself. The man was a virus, infecting all who come near him. It was only a matter of time before Luffy became exposed enough to become sick himself; the man would only smile as he landed a fatal shot.

Luffy swallowed down his fears. Fear? Since when was he scared? Nervous? Anticipant? The blonde simply threw him off guard, and so much so that for Luffy to appear before him again was nothing less than nerve wracking. Nevertheless, it had to be done. It had to.

The hallways leading to was his destination darkens steadily, or maybe it's just his imagination toying with him. They usher him along to the office, smiling evilly, taunting him with whispers of encouragement. A sinking feeling resides deep within his core, and the hairs in the back of Luffy's neck stand on end. He was getting worked up yet again, becoming a deterrent to himself.

Luffy pauses, bringing both hands to his face in a loud slap. A hurtful red burns bright on his cheeks, and Luffy takes a deep breath. "Get it together. The day's barely started," he mutters to himself. He looks up. A double door beckons his entry, curved brass handles shining bright, craving his tug. The doors themselves are an almost blinding white, speckless, and cleaned. The pure exterior is so fake that Luffy had to cough to conceal a chuckle.

It was as if it was hiding the rottenness within.

Luffy grabs a half moon on the door and pulls, mind set on a single goal and that goal only. To find Law.

"Monkey D. Luffy. I've missed you."

Luffy blinks rapidly, eyes adjusting to the bright lights behind the blonde. The contrast throws the principal into shadows, lenses glowing alongside the eerie smile he smeared in his face with a permanent marker. The student closes the door behind him quietly, and walks forward with tentativeness. "Dolflamingo," Luffy deadpans. He walks over to a seat and, throwing the smirking man the dirtiest look he could produce, plants himself in a chair before his desk. "Where is Law?"

His smile spreads wider, almost cartoon like, and it makes Luffy want to puke. Doflamingo tilts his head, resting it upon a tan hand before responding. "You're always looking for my boy. He's not here yet. Why?" The final inquiry is asked in a low, almost challenging tone, and Luffy's resolve wavers in the slightest before he builds it back up. Too late. Doflamingo notices, and a low laugh slips past his lips.

Luffy's eyes widen to the size of plates. "My boy?" he repeats, eyebrows raised. The innocent reaction comes almost natural, something he'd do before his brother had passed.

Something tingled within him at the mention of his deceased sibling. Luffy's better now, he swears. He hopes.

"You're too cute," Dolflamingo murmurs. Luffy ignores him as best he could. "Why isn't Law here? School starts in, what, ten minutes?"

The self gratified smile slips from his features, and Dolflamingo's gaze flicks downwards to his wrist. "8:49. True," he mutters under his breath. His mouth tugs downward slightly, and Luffy tilts his chin up, a vain attempt to look down on his superior. The student's round eyes turn into slits.

"Since he's not here," The pink coated man begins, "would you like to stay here with me?" He pauses in his shuffling of documents to glance up at Luffy with suggestive eyes. A cold shudder runs down Luffy's back, and he swallows to tamper down his upset stomach. Everything about the situation raised a red flag for him, but of course, Luffy didn't listen.

There were bigger things in life he had to attend to, and there was no way a simple man was going to stop him like this. Besides, Law would have to come here first thing in the morning anyway to get his classroom key. Luffy eyes the wall to the right of the blonde's hear, sporting a single golden key on a hook, the plate above reading, 'Classroom 69'. It's only one of a row of hooks, many of which are without a key. Without a doubt the teacher would come here and, finally, rescue him from this nightmare.

Only to be thrown into another one, but that was for then.

Luffy avoids the scrutinizing eye the man gives him as he makes himself comfortable in the chair, not bothering to respond to Dolflamingo's inquiry.

"So," he begins after a moment's breath, readjusting his glasses. The blonde folds his hands, long limbs propped on the table before him. "So. You and Law seem to be close, hmm?"

Luffy swallows. "Of course not."

"Really? I'd beg to differ," Doflamingo purrs, licking his lips. The student doesn't bother to suppress his revolted shudder. Neither does he stand to reply. He didn't owe the man an iota of space nor time.

After a long drawn out moment, the principal stands, waking gangly towards a filing cabinet. Luffy follows him with his eyes only, suspicion follows his every motion. The pink coat the man wore hid his arm movements, but a loud slam makes Luffy jolt. The blonde turns back towards him, a blank rectangle in hand. Luffy shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and if the sirens in his head weren't going off before, they sure were now, and every single one of his senses told him to flee.

What was he so scared of?

"How's that Ace kid doing?" The tan man asks casually, orbs glancing up from studying the thin paper. Luffy's heart stops, and his world blanks to a pure, chaste white.

Its misleading.

He doubles over, and the pain from those three months come back to him, hitting him like a truck of bricks, knocking the air out of him. His brain whirls within his head, dizzying him and throwing him off balance, because nowhere had he ever planned on his brother being mentioned by the one person he absolutely despised. He wasn't worthy. This man had no regard for his brother, absolutely none, not an ounce of respect. He had no right, none whatsoever.

The blonde had to stop.

"How...how do you know him? How do you know my brother?" Luffy grits, standing up so fast a pang of pain shoots up straight from his core, sending him nearly tripping over his own feet.

A look of shock comes across the older's features. "Ace was your brother?"

Luffy's stomach churns obscenely at the tense. "Yeah," he manages weakly, eyes down. He pauses for breath before asking, "Why?" He doesn't mean to. But it's Ace, so the world could fuck itself.

Luffy thought the road ahead was bright. Doflamingo turned into a desolated, isolated street.

Doflamingo shows him the card, and Luffy takes a look of unrequited curiosity. The contents wipe the anger clean off his face, followed by his eyes watering without his consent.

It's a picture of a young Ace, around ten or so, smiling proudly with an arm slung around another boy's shoulders. He sniffles as quietly as he can. "Ace," he whispers, bringing a caressing thumb over his smooth, innocent face.

"He's passed, hm?" Doflamingo asks sorrowfully. His company's glassy eyes blink owlishly, fighting to rid of his filling cup before it overflew. "It's no wonder."

Luffy pushes the ominous statement to the back of his mind, and instead narrows his eyes at the child who Ace seemed to adore. His tan glistened in the sunlight, with dark, wistful eyes, a white hat admired with black dots, and a baby frog clamped within his small fist. "Who's..."

"That's Law," the man smirks.

"That's _Law_?" Luffy repeats disbelievingly, gaping at the young face. After a long gander at his premature features, the younger takes a low intake of breath. "Holy shit. How...how you have this? What the fuck," Luffy says all at once, and the blonde raises an amused eyebrow at his language.

Doflamingo takes back the pictures, tucking it into one of the many pockets his large featured coat offered. "You could say we have a history."

The bells rings then, a sound almost gone unheard in the roar of the sudden crowd, a sea of voices that Luffy had somehow managed to block out. The black haired just about turns to leave, to close the door on the whole situation when a stray thought suddenly comes to mind.

"Dolflamingo," Luffy begins sullenly, eyes a wild ferocity of madness. "What did you mean, 'It's no wonder' Ace passed?"

The tall man regards the boy's body language carefully, picking his next words with a cautious tongue. "He isn't the same Law I would've thought he would be as an adult. Something tragic has happened to him, much deeper than a simple death."

"Are you insinuating you know something about Ace's death?" Luffy asks with a grave voice. He's surprised it doesn't waver or faulter like his heart.

"Law might," Doflamingo smiles. Luffy scowls at him, stalking away and slamming the door, hate for the blonde fully restored.

...

Law was here, death written across his face, with black creases between his brows.

If one woke up in the wrong side of the bed to have a bad day, Law didn't even wake up on the bed; the man was simply grumpy, and in every form of the word. He seemed to hate to the world and everything in it, seeing as the threatening, negative aura around him seemed to fester itself more and more prominently. Luffy took this all in within a second, still standing in the doorway. "What the hell happened? Damn," Luffy remarks, one that slipped out of his mouth almost automatically. A student pushes him from behind, laughter trickling in through the gap. Luffy glances up, and its that tall guy with the Afro, a new stack of porn in his hands. The black haired frowned deeply as the guy above him snickers and walks confidently to his seat. Serval teens follow the first, and Luffy finally gets himself together and gets himself into a seat. Questioning Law now was a wrong move, one that would end in nothing less than pretty.

The class dragged on, with Luffy barely paying attention to the man's drab lecture. Unlike his previous classes, he didn't care wether or not the students payed attention, and neither did he care if anyone was engaged. Which, because of his lax ways, none of the students were. Luffy's mind was a ragged, tangled mess of thoughts, spinning around in endless loops, yet he still tried to wrap his head around this one. What had gotten into him? Was it because of yesterday?

Was it because if his words?

Guilt sinks to the bottom of Luffy's stomach, and he shakes his head to rid myself of those thoughts. Of course not. There's no way someone as proud as Law would get so worked up over such a tiny thing, was there? He was too old for such antics.

"That's all," Law conjures with a slam of his workbook. In a swift move, he tosses the paperback into his bag, shrugs on a coat, and exits the classroom in a heightened, steady gait, in tandem to the bell's obnoxious ring.

The noise in the classroom had all but quadrupled as the students laugh, conversations carried high above them. Luffy shut this out as much as he could, and instead hurries after his teacher. He didn't even know why he was so adamant to apologize to the man, but it was a gut feeling, something that told him he had to do this no matter what.

Ace had told him to listen to that feeling. So Luffy did.

Skipping his second hour, Luffy walks outside into the bright sunshine, covering his face for a better view of the wide parking lot. It isn't long until he spots Law, turning keys in his hand, scowling deeply at the metal. Luffy tightens his lips and walks tentatively, stealing across other cars to get to the passenger side of the older's vehicle.

Just as Law slips into the driver's seat, Luffy pops open the opposite door. Law looks up, startled, but quickly slips the impassive mask back onto his face. "Get the fuck away from my car, Luffy-ya," Law spits, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't have time for your shit."

Luffy swallows and takes a seat, closing the door behind him. Law's eyes are on him the the entire time, and each centimeter closer to the man sends his heart racing out of nervousness. "I just, um," Luffy stutters. He rings his hands, looking down, and a flush of embarrassment fills his cheeks. He prepared himself for this, stressed over this all morning, and just at the crucial moment, of course this happens.

He thought it'd be okay. He'd thought it'd be alright.

"You're waiting my time," Law sighs roughly, starting his car and unlocking the door. "And I'm not in the mood. _Leave_."

Luffy turns to him, eyes wide and apologetic. "I'm sorry," he says softly, head bent respectfully. "What I did last night wasn't right. No, it was cruel. I didn't take your feelings into account. It won't happen again, I promise, so I'm so—"

Law had grabbed his shoulder in a hurried, swift movement, pushing down with so much force that Luffy lets a little gasp out, grimacing as his back hits the small seat. Law towers over him, face streaked in sharp angles of sun, eyes narrowed into slits. "Luffy-ya," Law begins, voice deep and rolling off in waves. "I have too many things to deal with right now, and you're not helping."

Luffy's eyes harden. He had tried the nice way. "Like Ace's death?"

Law freezes. "Where did you hear—"

"Dolflamingo," Luffy breathes. "What do you know? I knew you were hiding something."

"That man and his loud mouth," the older grumbles, mouth forming an even deeper frown. Law lowers his face, his nose a breath away from Luffy's. "Don't delve into these things. It's none of your concern. The truth hurts. Reality hurts. Life hurts. You cant handle it, I know well."

Luffy scoffs, offended. "I- I'm better. I'm not healed, no where close, but I'm better. I've improved, so please. This is my own brother were talking about, so of course it's my concern. What is it about my brother's death that I'm missing?"

The man studies the student below him, teary eyed and rosy cheeked, looking up defiantly. Law takes a deep breath. "I'm the one who should be sorry," Law says under his breath. Luffy might've been a persevering, overbearing, annoying bastard, but he still had this effect on Law, something he didn't realize until it was too late.

Something tugged within Law.

Downwards.

Luffy made a surprised little squeal when Law's lips were suddenly on his. Shockingly soft and plump, Laws lips barely touch Luffy's, gingerly caressing the flesh. Luffy struggles below him, weakly gripping the older's back, and pulling. The student presses his head against the seat, away from the shy mouth hovering on his own. He averts his mouth, gasping heavily. "What are you doing?" Luffy murmurs between soft pants.

Law pulls away from the boy before him, facing the opposite way. "An apology."

Luffy furrows his brows as he gazes at the man before him. Law is quiet, silent, even, for several moments, all without facing him. The younger gets the hint and, eyes still planted on Law, exits the car. Though his heart pounds wildly in ears, cheeks inflamed, and movements jerky, his mind couldn't get Law's statement out of his mind.

An apology? For what?

—•—

Sabo groans, throwing papers up into the air in frustration. "I just can't understand it! You interviewed Law and he just goes, 'Ace died because of me' and leaves? What...what the fuck?"

Koala sighs, spinning around in her chair. She chews furiously on gum, looking over different documents of various sizes and colors. "That man is sneaky, and he can use his resources well. He left so quickly we couldn't go after him, and we looked in the hallway, he disappeared..."

Sighing, he leans back in his seat. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to do this favor for me."

Koala sputters, standing. "The both of us know that I'm more than capable of handling a case of two by myself! Dragon has you busy on a thousand other different projects, so of course, since I have a time-allowing schedule, I'll look into your brother's case for you."

Koala tilts her head, smiling softly, "It's taking a bit more time than anticipated, and yeah, the questioning was completely my fault."

The blonde thinks for a moment, nodding absentmindedly. "Speaking of brothers, how is Luffy? Has he recovered from the hospital?"

Koala gives him a confused look, pausing in her collection of papers. "What hospital?"

"Well," Sabo begins, a nostalgic smile painted on his features. "There was this one day a few months back that I'm walking, right? And I found Luffy just passed out on the sidewalk. I thought he was sleeping, because his eyes were kinda half openish, but they closed suddenly and I freaked out. Then I took him to the hospital."

Koala drinks in the information with a drawn out, exaggerated, "Okay." Sabo turns towards her, eyes all seriousness. "Well?"

"Um. He's been out of the hospital for at least two and a half months now. He's going to summer school in order to regain the credits he missed."

The man releases a breath, relaxing his tension. "That's great."

"Hmm," Koala hums in agreement, tucking a stray strand of orange hair behind her ear. "Next time, I'll—"

"No," Sabo interrupts, a new flame shining brightly in his eyes. "I'll go."

He stands, easing towards the exit of the room already, and Koala follows him hastily, hands stretched out wide to her sides. "Hold on, there's no way Dragon will allow this," she protests. "And besides, didn't I tell you I'd handle it?"

"I want to see him personally. Luffy, I mean," Sabo says clearly. "He comes before anything, even this job as Vice President of the whole damn police force."

"You reckless little—"

Sabo faces her squarely, bringing himself up as high as he could, initiating the intimidation he had acquired over the years on the job. "Hey, while I'm out there, I can see to this Law person. If you weren't able to get it out of him, guaranteed, I will."

Koala crumples, letting out her bottled frustration through a huffy sigh. "There's no stopping you, is there?"

The blonde smiles wildly at her, winking. "Nope. I'll keep in touch."

He walks out the door with finesse, closing it softly behind him. "Oh, and Koala?" The man says before completely shutting the door.

The woman eyes him with a defensive eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Thanks for everything," he smiles, leaving as roses blossomed on the woman's cheeks.

**•ITS BEEN OVER A MONTH hi friends. So at least this is a decently sized chapter for your reading pleasure. Anyway, thanks reading as always. HMU on favs, follows, reviews, all that juice. See you all in the next chapter!•**


	10. Friendship

**•HELLO ALL! You have my permission to punch me because I could've uploaded this earlier but school. And mostly laziness. Shoot me.•**

_—Something within the second seed breaks. Though it opens new doors for the future, and closes old doors from the past. Though coping with growing and struggling and development, it pushes on.—_

**10\. Friendship**

_Thirteen Years Ago_

His black hair rode the waves of the wind haphazardly as he ran over uneven ground, glancing back in fear of the pink coat showing itself again. Law, tears pricking at his wide eyes, rubs the coal orbs in irritability. He had to escape from Doflamingo's tyrannical ways, and as a young teen, he couldn't take it anymore.

He had to escape.

As though the older man's breath was on the back of his neck, Law's own hitched and he pushes himself beyond the limit to get away, sunlight streaming through the trees and barely touching him as he fled. "I've got to get away," Law puffs through breathy pants. "I've got to..."

"Oi."

Surprise sends his heart racing, and the stumbling boy trips over his feet clumsily, a squeak emitting from his throat as he crashes head first into the grassy, dirt ridden ground. Groaning, the boy rubs his brushed cheek, cursing softly at his bruised side before turning angry eyes upon the new voice.

Narrowing his irises, Law immediately goes on the defensive. "Who the fuck are you?" Law says contemptuously, little hands turning little shaking fists.

The boy's tan skin glowed beside being bathed in shadows, back to the sun. Freckles exploded upon his full cheeks, with dark eyes wide and riddled with experience, and so much so for such a young face. Yet those haunted eyes brighten regardless, and those pink lips split into a wide, friendly smile. "I'm Ace! Why are you running?"

Disregarding the openness, as such hasn't been shown to Law in such a long time, then boy stands, wobbling slightly. "Nothing," Law mutters, stretching quickly. He begins to take off again, with drained strength and barely caught breath, when the tan boy's hand grabs into his darker one.

"What're you—"

"You look sad. Be my friend? I don't have many," Ace says, a desperate undertone to his voice. That distant look in his eyes retuned then, somewhat a similar to his own, and, for the first time in his life, Law felt _sympathy_.

Looking back to ensure his safety from his blonde oppressor, Law takes a deep breath to assure himself. "Sure," he relents, and Ace's smile is so wide Law wonders how it's contained in his face. "But," Law warns, "keep me a secret. If word gets out that I've escaped, more than it probably has already, I'm not sure what'll happen."

"Of course!" cheers Ace, who runs around, jumping and clapping gleefully. "Let's meet here everyday!"

Law reels on him, fear gripping his heart. "No way. I've gotta get away from here as soon as possible."

Faltering slightly, Ace's excited countenance crumples. It soon relights, though, as another idea comes to mind. "Then, how about weekly? Here? At around this time?"

Law considers this, taking a gander at the sun, high and vibrant in the sky. The day was lazy and the sky was blue, clouds rolling by in heaped mounds of white. The trees swayed gently in the soft breeze, and the afternoon was beautiful and peaceful. The lakes which they fooled around glistened blindingly, reflecting beautifully. In front of him resided a new path, a new friend, a new life laid out for him. Behind him laid Dolflamingo, most likely given up the chase, and a life he wouldn't return to even if one paid him.

The answer was beyond obvious.

"Sure," Law giggles. His heart beats loudly at this new turn of events, and it rings in his ears as Ace's laughter swells within him. It was surreal, these kinds of blessings, but they happen, and they are real.

The boys promised and frequently met, sharing stories and exploring, hunting and eating, sleeping and playing. Weeks stretched into long, long months, cut short by the laughter they omitted and the time they burned. Truly, they became one in friendship, closer than love itself. Nothing could separate the boys, neither the world nor its rules.

Until the day of the fire.

Flames licked the sides of the forest, swallowing the trees whole and turning the once vibrant green into a charred, broken black. The lake where the boys played at reflected a world of ombré chaos, fire stretching its destructive tentacles across the score of land. Above the heap of fallen nature lay a cloudless night sky, an empty abyss of blackness and fear, enveloping the disaster into its welcome dankness.

Below breathed Law, eyes watering, breath heaving as he ran through the sea of flames. "Ace!" he cries, coughing as he inhales the smoky fumes. Underfoot went broken leaves and dark blood as the child sprinted across the forest; the same place he and Ace played in, the same place they first met, the same place that they were separated from. Law, barely into his double digits, races fearfully across the scarred grass, starting towards a wonderful friend. One he couldn't find right now, nor would he at this rate.

Stopping, the boy crumples to his knees, taking hacking, wild gulps of air as best he could. His small hands clutch the dying, dead grass, holding onto something so he doesn't fall over. This was all too surreal. It was overwhelming and exhilarating, and an instinct to escape kicked in like never before, carrying his small stature across miles of miles of land. He was wholly welcomed into the bath of flames and destruction, swiftly snatching his ability to breath deeply.

And here he was after struggling for miles on end.

"Ace!" Law tries again, and tears prick his glazed, dark eyes. It hurts to blink, not that the clouds of black allowed much to be seen, and the constant running and lack of oxygen was starting to get to the small boy. His exhausted lids lower, and his head rested itself against the hot floor of the forest. It would be nice to take a nap for a few hours...

A sound crunches its way towards Law, who barely makes out the discernible sound against the roar of the fire. "Law! Law is that you? Damn it..."

The boy upon the floor rubs his eyes warily before blinking and glancing upwards. A mop of wild dark hair greets his eyes, followed by a wide set of eyes, alive with fear and worry and thanks. "I finally found you!" Ace cries loudly, tears streaming down his red cheeks. "I thought..."

Law sniffles himself, heat steeping into his cheeks at the fact that his best friend has made it through the danger alright. "I'm okay," the older murmurs, pulling the younger into a tight, loving, welcoming hug. Ace blinks a few times, wiping the unsightly tears away, then returned the embrace with fervor and relief.

Beside the ground below them laid a toy, likely lost and forgotten, yet unscathed amongst the red and orange. Blinking owlishly at the tears within his sockets, Law pulls away reluctantly and bends, picking it up. Fingering it slowly, he holds it to the light all around them. It's fire, a plastic, cheap kind, but with a socket attached.

"What's that?" Ace marvels, eyes stars as he gazes adoringly at the toy.

Law smiles softly despite their dire predicament. Some things just never got old. "It's a nightlight, I think," he notes, turning around the still, plastic flame as it reached towards the sky.

Seeing his friend's complete and utter obsession Law chuckles. "Want it? Think of it as a present."

Jumping on this toes, Ace beams at the boy, "Oh, can I please?" Warmth flows through Law's supple cheeks to his ears as he hands the toy to the boy. Light flickers within the dark coals of his friend, and his beam burns brighter. "I love it, I'll treasure it forev—"

A tree beside them catches fire abruptly, spraying sparks of fire upon the boys, who dodge them irrationally. Cracking ensued, followed by the looming shadow of the incoming wall of flame following the tree's descent. Terrified, the boys flee to opposite sides of the danger, screaming as the log hit the ground and flames fly higher. Surrounding the two were complete yellow and orange, hotter and more stubborn then before. If Law could barely breathe before, he couldn't now, and each breath was smoke and such only.

Beside him, in the heat of the moment, lay the fire light. Law stares at it sorrowfully, regretfully. "Ace!" Law yells besides his lack of oxygen, because that was all he cared about. All he wanted was his friend healthy and alive.

He doesn't receive an answer.

Panic grips him then, and he searching dutifully for a way around, to see where Ace was, to ensure he was okay. "Ace!" he tries again, only to stutter halfway through. His grey eyes were avidly crying now, and his body was too hot, much past the safety of 98.6 F, but Ace was his only friend. Who could potentially...

All around him was flame.

There wasn't even a way out for him.

A fight or flight instinct kicks in, and his heart battered painfully against his chest. There has to be a way out, there had to be. Or he'd die. He wouldn't allow himself to pass before seeing his friend again, he wouldn't. Though oxygen ran short, and his brain seemed to be dying on him, and strength drained from Law in waves, he had to push. At least until it was safe.

At least until Ace was safe.

To the left of the intense heat then opened a path, small enough just for his size. Making use of his astuteness, Law runs with newfound strength towards the small opportunity, soon flickering close before his eyes. Pushing off the burnt grass below, he leaps through the small gap between hot flames, cursing loudly at the lick of heat that touched his skin.

Outside the flames he faces a wide, vast expanse of water, touching the horizon in a blurry, uneven line, unable to differentiate between the dark of the sky and the waves of the ocean. Law blinks, confused, then turns around. The fire is a good ten feet behind him, and only looming closer. He leans over the water, glancing at his wavering reflection. Soot, dirt, and dust encrust themselves onto his front, sliced by rough tears glistening down his redeemed, blackened cheeks. Sniffling, Law scoops a handful of clear water up, reflecting the fire just behind him, and rinses his face with it, hoping to rid himself of this nightmare.

Water isn't enough to wash away the flames.

Taking yet another gulp of savory oxygen, Law glances behind him. The fire was making steady, but slow progress towards him, and though he wasn't in immediate danger, he needed to move fast. Unbeknownst to him, he was clutching a smooth object within his hand and, blinking slowly as he looked down, found it out to be the flame light, the same one he had given Ace. The boy curses loudly at the tears that pricked his eyes at the thought of the gift not being successfully delivered for good.

He'd give it to him.

There was no way he could do it today, maybe not even tomorrow but he would. Promising the bright moon within the sky, promising himself and, in his heart, promising Ace, he would give it to him. It symbolized their friendship, it symbolized their current predicament, and it symbolized the both of them.

A raging fire.

—•—

_Thirteen Years Later_

Nostalgia slapped him senseless as he walked down that warm street, and the sun's radiance shined on him just as much as it did the day he met Ace. His sharp shoes clacked against the sidewalk before making a sharp turn onto the wide, tan driveway. It was an apartment, completely white and colorless, and Law's heart tears up at the thought of his beloved best friend staying here. Law was ecstatic he was alive, and wanted to talk to him as soon as possible.

He walks up the time-worn stairs two at a time, fighting to keep his jumping feeling within himself. Failing, and utterly so, Law smiles big, something he hasn't done in a while, as he rings on the door.

There's silence, but Law's hopes are yet to be dashed. He rings again. "Weird," he mutters, the edges of his lips falling. "I could've sworn this is where the phone book said..."

After the eleventh try, Law gives up in an exasperated sigh. He had double checked, triple checked, quadruple checked that this was the right address. Ace has to be here...but yet wasn't. There was yet a tendril of hope left to be severed, though, and in spite of him, Law digs into a pocket to retrieve the old symbol.

The fire light.

Though olden and grayed with streaks of vintage, the flame of the plastic toy still held a proud air about it, awaiting to be rekindled again. Law fingers the old tangible memoir, smiling softly at the memories it held. But, he had promised, he'd give it to Ace.

It's been over a decade.

Laying the light down softly at the entrance at the apartment, Law smiles yet again, once more before leaving, shutting the door on his past only for Ace to open it again. He missed the boy—well, man now— dearly.

Days pass in awkward short segments, daylight spanning anywhere from days to seconds, night coming in batches of few or many. It seems like forever when Law's busy surgeon profession allows him to sneak a peek at Ace's apartment once more.

The light is no where to be seen. This heart beats a little faster, hope swelling within him. Ace must've gotten it. He must've.

Law told himself this over and over, continuing with his day. Yes. He must have.

...

_Hours Before Ace's Arrest_

The street he walked down was damp and dank, but he's lived through situations worse, so the scenery didn't particularly bother him. Trafalgar Law sighed despite himself, staring up at the grey, humid skies, foretelling of a whirring maelstrom of unfortunates to come. Donned in an spiffy, sharp gray suit, dark shoes, and a collar whiter than his soul would ever be, the man walked along the path quietly.

Kicking at a rock and shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Law steadies his eyes upon the opposing side of the ghetto-like area, buildings in shambles and streets littered and degraded. The whole neighborhood was in dire conditions, setting him off. But he had no choice. His usual route to Ace's home was barricaded; this was the next best.

"That Ace kid really went through with it, huh?"

As if on purpose, an explosion erupts in Law's brain, triggering a massive chain of subsequent eruptions. His mind has obtained a state that no other word described but a numbness, and his body moved on pure instinct toward the man who uttered Ace's name.

The voice had been emitted from an alleyway on his left, and Law turned violent, deadly eyes towards the men who dare disgrace his best fiends name and identity.

"What a dumbass!" cackles the man beside the first, slapping his partner on the back with glee. "He actually thought he'd make money...he's so trusting it's disgusting."

Law found himself walking deeper into the alley, and at a quickened gait, too. Something within him simply snapped, nothing more, nothing less. Law addressed this a matter-of-factly, though on the inside he planned near murder.

"Now that bitch landed his sorry ass in jail—" The lackey's face met its end at Law's fist, and sharp cracking sounds fill the air. Blood spilled itself upon the tan man's balled fists, displaying itself in an unorganized spatter upon the ground. The thought of the men bringing such ridiculous shame on Ace's name just pissed him right the fuck off, because he knew Ace. Better than any one, better than either of them.

"W- Wait!" pleads the other, palms up in mock defense. Law raises a single black eyebrow, intrigued to listen to his excuse for all of two seconds. The man had only opened his mouth when Law shoved a first into his gut, hard enough to leave a bruise lasting for months. Anger, lividity, and annoyance compiled itself on top of on another, making themselves prominent through the ferocity of his violence. Law grunts as he removes his limb, wiping the repulsive red on his victim's tee.

Bending low, Law brings the two of them together, smiling in mockery but with eyes as hard as steel, uncompassionate, and unmerciful. "Tell me how you know Ace. Tell me where he is. This is an order." The dark haired whispers the last sentence, low enough and with a threat so clear it sent shivers down their backs. The underlings in question exchange glances before sighing, giving up.

The one on the right mutters. "Ace was part of our scheme. Willingly."

Law furrows his eyes. "Willingly?"

The other speaks, looking at something past Law as he does. "Yeah. He's in Impel Down now...hell if he gets out of there."

Impel down?

Law drops the men without much further thought as his brain filled with new information. Ace. His Ace! In _jail?_

Impossible. But for them to speak with such certainty, it wouldn't hurt for him to at least check, right? Law reassures himself with this as he walks stiffly back to the main road. Maybe he was going paranoid himself. He'd just beat up two random strangers...all for Ace. Everything around him seemed to revolve around his first friend, but could he be blamed? Ace had been his first step into normality, or the gist of it, and was the one who gave him a hand when no one else did.

Of course he'd have a slight obsession.

So, he thinks so himself, breathing deeply and quickly. Everything would be alright.

—•—

Everything is not.

When Law arrived at the jail, gone through the necessary paperwork and admission process, it had come face to face with a man who had been a only the shadow of his former self. The weight of the world seemed to ride passively on those sagging shoulders. Hair, once glistening and wavy and defined, was now dirty, matted with stress and hardship. The man himself didn't seem to take notice of exactly how dirty he had became in such a reliving short time since arriving to the prison, but Law had. And always would.

The scene tugged at his heart.

"Ace-ya, I presume?" Law says loudly, bringing the prisoners' attention towards him. The man in question glanced up at hm in shock, while his mates seemed to do the same, except in anger.

"I am he," Ace responds slowly, standing, eyeing Law with a blank expression.

"You're free to go," the older says, gesturing toward the door. As soon as the words left his lips, however, voices erupted to a new height and volume, demanding. Why Ace was to leave, demanding their releases, screaming, yelling, protesting, even rushing him—

No one else would stand in the way of their reunion.

Pulling up his pants slightly, Law gets into a crouching position, unfazed by the sudden onslaught of men in front of him. With an animalistic growl, he rushes through the chaos, decapitating all of the prisoners, leaving them writhing and helpless on the ground below.

"Come with me. You're free," Law announces, reaching out towards the paler man. Blinking rapidly, the man takes the hand, standing. With a smile planted on his face, Ace takes the hand, and Law leads him outside.

...

"Oh, sorry, I don't think I caught your name, good sir," Ace says respectfully when the two are outside, sunlight beating down upon their bodies.

The comment throws Law off. What did he mean, didn't catch Law's name? They...they were best friends. They are best friends. Did he not remember?

He suddenly has a dire need for air.

If Ace didn't remember, then if he were to simply state all of their business together, he would come off creepy and stalk-ish...if he didn't remember.

Law hoped Ace didn't hear the sound of his heart breaking.

He instead takes a deep breath. "Law." Silently, he prays it sounded normal and well rounded, not cracking and soft. Unable to blink away the sudden tears, he pivots and walks away, eyes wide and blinking, watching the wavering, blurry ground.

"I'll never for get this, Law! Honestly! Thank you!"

Law didn't turn back to the man, and he could barely hear his best friend's goodbye over the sound of his heart cracking, his tears flowing, or the roar of the ocean in his brain. It hurt, and very much so. Maybe their friendship was something that he treasured only, or maybe it just wasn't as special for Ace.

Well. It _has_ been thirteen years.

Law pushed his emotions to the back of his mind, cursing himself for being so emotional all the time. He was a surgeon, and he had patients to take care of, he had business to attend to. There isn't anyone who would want someone not within the right mental mindset to operate on them. No one.

He had people who depended on him.

He takes a quick breath and finalizes his composing of his emotions. With heavy legs but a determined mind, Law walks back towards his own house.

**This chapter is iffy as FUCK but I'm done! Does that count? Please I'm sorry for any mistakes I'm just a little egg I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed the read, hmu with the favs and follows! There are only a couple of chapters left for this story, so stay tuned!**


	11. Alive

**•Back from the dead with a chapter! I hope you enjoy this one and have an amazing day!•**

—_Though the seed experienced drawbacks galore, it fought through the oppression. It was the other seed, however, that experienced the hardest fall. There existed only its fellow plant to bring him back up to flourish within the sun._—

**11\. Confessions**

"He almost killed us!"

"Yeah, that guy was crazy, looking for Ace...I swear if he didn't leave when he did..."

The man before him frowns deeply, not amused. Stroking his dark beard, he observes the two lackeys before him with great scorn. They have failed him greatly, and instead of atoning for that sin alone by dying at that man's hands, instead tells him unnecessary information about Ace. He was the man who came to him in a desperate need of money.

At the thought of the moment, the boss smiles harshly. It was as if he asked to be used. It wasn't their fault that he had landed in jail after their attempt to take over the store. The boss blames the ignorant, trusting fool for believing the world was as beautiful and as innocent as Ace thought it to be.

And now someone was asking for Ace's location?

Their boss purses his teeth, jaw set. His anger was rising steadily, soon to boil and overflow. "Ace, hmm? He's quickly becoming a thorn in my side. And seeing that the man who attacked you seemed to care greatly for him..."

The superior stood up with a grunt, stretching his back, and works his heavy, fat-ridden limbs down short steps to the floor where his subordinates stood. "You remember the bottle of Akainu we found last week? I think it's time we put it to good use."

"What do you mean, Boss?" one of the lackeys asks, stepping forward tentatively. "What about it?"

The man smiles, scratching his rough black hair. "I'd say lets just kill the bastard. Revenge for that man who messed with you two, and to let that freckled idiot die without revealing our secrets. How about that?"

The one on the left sneers. "I'll do it. In the name of Blackbeard!"

Blackbeard laughs jollily. "I'll provide you with the materials you'll need. We're rolling out in ten minutes, so wait with the car."

Saluting the man, the two underlings roll out, running to get the preparations ready. "Now then," Blackbeard mutters, walking towards the entrance of the hideout with unparalleled pride, smirking at Ace's soon to be death, and the stranger's soon to be despair.

Once that Ace was gone from his life, he would have nothing to worry about anymore.

...

"Make sure you aim carefully," Blackbeard warns into the walkie talkie from the car, a block or so away from the shooter. Finally, the time had come, and he had calculated that the man who had assaulted his lackeys had gone to the prison. Therefore, by arming one of them with a shot of Akainu and having them be on standby within the comforting shade of a tree from afar, they could accurately shoot Ace and successfully pull away without any flaws or drawbacks.

If the mysterious attacker was swift enough to both escape his subordinates and beat them near to death, then he must have been extremely cunning.

"Target seen. He's exiting the jail with the man who attacked us," comes the voice for over the piece of technology. Blackbeard smiles, almost laughing, it was going along almost too easily. "Alright. Aim the gun carefully, at the target. Try to pick up any conversation between the two."

"Roger."

The well rounded man, within the safety of his car, reaches blindly for the binoculars beside him, putting them to his eyes, giving his vision wide access to the scene about to unfold.

The man beside Ace was tall, dark, and had a hint of handsome to his features. He dressed in a fancy suit, and his dark hair was an explosion of tamed neatness, a contradiction that fit him. His eyes seemed to light as he spoke to Ace. Then. They dimmed.

A minute more and they parted, saying their goodbyes to have other. Blackbeard sat up in the drivers' seat, watching intently for the moment the other man, apart from Ace, completely disappeared from his vision. "Now," the boss breathed, smiling viciously.

"Roger that," chuckled the shooter, steadying the gun loaded with the deadly substance safely packed away into the miscellaneous form of a bullet. With a deep breath, the subordinate pulled the trigger.

The shot rang loudly through the still air, hitting its intended target with detailed precision. Ace stumbled slightly under the sudden onslaught of pain from above. The man who shot smiled widely, almost in tandem with his boss' grin. Blackbeard quietly ordered for him to fall back, being very careful not to alert Ace to his presence. After receiving the final okay, the man laid back in his car to relax under the pall of relief.

The sickness would not take long to administer itself through the man's body. For him to die through such a means would definitely be painful and excruciating, but such was the life of one who dabbed a bit too far into the dark side. That's what Ace got, no, deserved, for assaulting his subordinates.

If anyone were to blame, it wouldn't be him at all, not by far. It'd be that man's. Oughta have taught him a lesson about messing with the wrong crowd.

Just like Ace.

—•—

_Present Day_

Sabo nods gravelly from across Law, sipping gingerly on the coffee offered to him. "Sad story. So? How and when did you realize it was Blackbeard's doing?" he asked, composed and professional.

The two sat within Law's apartment, the air tense and telling of future unfortunates between them. The blonde showed up on his doorstep, face a controlled maelstrom of emotions. He had forced his way in cunningly, weaseling Law down into a chat which quickly turned into an interrogation.

Law clenched his hand, an action he hadn't thought he was even capable of performing, as it showed nervousness and a sense of fear of the future. It's been a while since he was able to talk so freely about a sensitive topic such as this, especially from his side of the story, and being able to do so now set him slightly on edge. "I believe it was a few days ago when I heard a rumor on the streets. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense," Law says quietly. He was a fool. A complete and utter fool for believing.

Across from Law, Sabo focuses his attention on his nursed beverage. "What're you thinking right now?"

"I'm connecting the dots," Law murmurs, crossing his legs, which had started to shake. "If I beat those guys up, and they went to this Blackbeard person. Then they supplied themselves with Akainu, and from there shot Ace. Supposing that this is all true, which is what I believe..." Law swallows the lump in his throat.

"Doesn't that mean...that I killed Ace?"

Sabo sets down the coffee, taking a deep breath. It hurt for him, too, but the pain was kept on the far back burner. He had a job to do, a guy he would need to catch, and a case to solve. Maybe after he would grieve. Assuming he doesn't cave in sooner.

Law seemed to be falling victim to the latter.

A sound from outside the hallway causes the two to pause, eyeing the door. "Were you expecting a visitor?" Sabo inquires with a raised brow, crossing his arms.

Law tightens his lips. "I don't believe I had anything on the agenda today." The man gets up, walking with aching feet towards the entrance of the apartment. Law opens the door, glancing to the right, then the left. Nothing but empty halls greet him. His grey eyes linger on Luffy's door a bit longer that he would have liked to admit.

Retreating back inside, Law turns towards Sabo, who looked over him carefully. "How did you even come to know Ace?" The inquiry comes off slightly defensive, and the dark haired man gives him a look with lowered brows, and a question within his irises.

Sabo and Luffy were extremely close to Ace. Was it wrong or him to want to know the connection between his brother and this man?

Law sighs softly, walking back towards the blonde officer. "When I was a child, I ran away from Dolflamingo into a forest. In this forest, I met Ace. From then on, we met occasionally and just...clicked."

Sabo pauses, as though wanting to add something to the statement, but instead says nothing, pulling out a pad with which to write notes on. He scribbles down a few things, and Law returns to his seat.

"If you ran away from this man during your childhood," Sabo slowly begins, tapping a pen on the pad before him, "then why the hell are you working under him now?"

Law chuckles bitterly. "Small world."

"I'm serious," Sabo warns with a frown. "Why would you put yourself in that position?"

Darkened gray eyes find themselves laying upon the waning sunlight filtering in through the window gently, a stream of transparent yellow finding its home on the sofa opposing the window. "Two reasons. First, I didn't meet the principal until a few days before the first day of teaching, and secondly. Well, for someone named Luffy."

Sabo's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. "Luffy? What about him?"

"You know him?" Law asks, features brightening instantaneously. The blonde swallows, focusing his eyes and mind on the task at hand. "Let me ask the questions, thank you."

Tsking, Law sits back. "He's Ace's little brother. He wanted me to take care of Luffy, and being his teacher through summer school should be close enough, right? Along with me once being his doctor, and the fact we live so close? It's as if the world giving me the car and keys, and it's up to me to drive, and continue to do so."

"Will you?" Sabo questions, lifting his own from the paper momentarily.

Law nods. "It's to me to make up my sins for killing Ace. Working under that man is nothing. From attending Luffy's bills to eventually buying him his own place. I'll do anything."

Surprise settles itself on the officer's face. Never would he have thought that Law carried such aspirations within him. It left him with a sense of peace, knowing his youngest brother will be well cared for in times such as these, that he cannot care for himself.

Yet the question arises, who would take care of Law?

Sabo looked over the man once more. The exterior showed a slight panic, but resolve and determination mingled harmoniously on his face. Yet, most of the time, he tucked the emotions away under the impassive, blank expression he wore. Like a shield to the world, Law, at times, seems to completely cut off his feelings. The expression of indifference was worn out, and was beginning to show signs of wear; it didn't seem it would be too long before the mask cracked, if not already, then broke.

"Aren't you going a bit far?" Dark eyes blink slowly at the notes in his hands before setting them aside, reestablishing eye contact with the man. "I don't think that's what Ace really meant..."

"Maybe it isn't just for Ace anymore," Law mutters, avoiding Sabo's intense gaze. "Maybe it's just for Luffy."

The brother of the deceased opened his mouth in a circular shape, the mind's cogs turning rapidly, wrapping his head around the statement. It's closed slowly, in an "Oh," sort of gasp, finally realizing the subtle meaning. It's the first time Sabo had smiled so widely in years.

"I believe I am done," Sabo announces lightly, standing. He offers a hand out to Law, who shakes it wearily. "Thank you for your time."

"Glad you stole it," Law retorts with an easy smile.

Sabo's grin widens further. Stepping back, he bows politely, and Law copies the movement. With a nod, the officer steps away, towards the door. With a hand on the knob, he turns back slightly. "I think we would've been friends once upon a time."

"Maybe," Law says. It's strained.

Exiting, Sabo takes one step into the hallway when a yell pierces the air, followed by a rather obnoxious, "You're _alive?!_"

Law abandons the coffee he never touched and jumps up, fleeing from the room and into the hallway. There, he's greeted with a scene that wouldn't leave his mind for a long while.

Luffy, face ridden with tears and snot and sadness dripping off him in waves, seemed to have engulfed Sabo's head in a strange hug of sorts, clinging into the blonde with seemingly every bone in his body. "Yeah," the blonde sighs into the socket made with the younger's hip and leg. "I'm well."

"Why didn't you call?" the younger mumbles almost incoherently, getting down and wiping his tears noisily, ignoring the open staring from behind his long lost brother. "Why didn't you say anything _all this time_?"

Sabo chuckles uncomfortably, not looking at Luffy directly as he turns away. "After the plane crash long ago, I was taken into the police force by a recruiter. The process was so secretive that even I didn't know what was happening sometimes...I only knew at the time that it had to be kept a secret."

Luffy stepped back, looking the man up and down. "So what about now?"

The blonde shrugs. "Pure coincidence, that's all. I'm afraid I have to leave now, though. Here's my card, for future reference. I'm busy, so maybe later, after my shift is over."

Nodding, the black haired younger's eyes fill with tears again. "Yeah. Um. Keep in touch, please."

Sabo smiles at him, big and goofy, and pats the teen on the head as he walks by, waving at Luffy. Law stares after him solemnly, lips pursed together in a straight line. Turning back towards his apartment, he shuts the door softly, leaving Luffy with his thoughts, which would, without a doubt, will need to be sorted.

The officer, once out of sight, reaches up into his head and pulls out an expertly hidden headset within his nest of wild golden hair, pulling the once concealed microphone close to his lips. With a hurried gait, he talks quickly. "Is that good enough for you, Marco?"

A grunt sounds on the end of the headpiece. "Sure. I guess." Defeat seeps into his voice slowly, sadness adding a soft edge to the words. The professional sighs as the wind from outside the apartment carefully whispers sweet nothings into his ear. Approaching his vehicle, he responds with slight sympathy. "The lie detector I planted in the headpiece didn't go off."

Marco takes a deep breath, shuddering and the sort, and he takes his time to respond. "You heard the entire conversation, including his story, right?" Sabo asked, persevering. "You've no reason to hate him."

"I know just...just give me time to calm down," the man on the opposite side of the phone. "I know he didn't kill Ace, I know, I really do."

Smiling silently, Sabo opens the door to his car, inserting the key and humming when the engine turns on reluctantly, purring to life. "I will. I'll contact you if I make any progress. Take it easy, Marco."

"I will," comes the hushed reply.

The officer ends the call with a tap of the finger, bringing down the headset onto the table beside him. "Now," he says, closing his eyes tightly. "Back to headquarters."

Taking the car out of park, he backs out of the space he once occupied, turning, heading towards his destination with steady progress.

—•—

Luffy's smiling for real. It's not front the bottom of his heart, but it's somewhere damn close.

His mood is pretty positive as he casually strolled onto his apartment floor, jingling his pocket for the keys he hopes exists within the small space. As he locates the ring of metal, he singles out the one he needed when a familiar voice floats through the confined space of white.

"Doesn't that mean...that I killed Ace?"

A coldness creeps up his spine, clouding his vision and making his hands shake so hard he drops his keys, earning him a sharp slap of noise from below, furthering his panic. That voice was undoubtedly Law.

What the hell did he mean, he killed Ace?

Did he, or did he not, _repeatedly_ insist he had no information on his brother?

The pain of being lied too stems through his being quickly, and Luffy tries to swallow though his mouth was as dry as desert. A jolt of anger shoots through the teen, followed a queer squeak, which was covered all too late by his hand, escapes his mouth.

The other voice accompanying Law's pauses, and silence fills the air. A deep feeling of dread fills Luffy, and he fumbles with the keys within his hand, struggling to get the door to his apartment, Ace's apartment, their apartment, open.

He does so, but with much more difficulty than most others, and slips inside, clicking the door shut just as he heard the door to Law's apartment open. Luffy crouches behind the door, eyes wide and planted on the floor, heart beating wildly. He didn't know exactly why he was hiding, but something screamed at him to get out of sight, for his presence was unneeded, unnecessary.

Luffy held his breath as the hall's vision safely disappeared from the opening of Law's door. With small, careful hands, Luffy opens his door, fighting to control his raging emotions, surely appearing as a congestion of grief and misery and anxiety upon his countenance.

His feet softly bless the floor of the hall once more, peering eerily at the entrance to his tecaher's apartment. Though his heart was crying, his hands numb, and mind full of Law's fibs, Luffy stepped out of his apartment, walks towards the opposite, looming door, and places his ear against the firm wood.

"...Along with me once being his doctor, and the fact we live so close? It's as if the world giving me the car and keys, and it's up to me to drive, and continue to do so."

Laws voice is a determined, and Luffy's heart jumps into his throat. He has no obligation whatsoever to—

"Will you?" the other voice asks his doctor, his teacher, his neighbor.

Law nods. "It's to make up my sins for killing Ace. Working under that man is nothing. From attending to Luffy's bills to eventually buying him his own place. I'll do anything."

"Aren't you going a bit far? I don't think that's what Ace really meant..."

"Maybe it isn't just for Ace anymore," says Law. "Maybe it's just for Luffy."

The teen in question furrows his eyebrows. It made no sense to him.

A minute or so passes, voices drifting up from within the room, and suddenly, they join the bandwagon of silence he and the halls rode on. Luffy, from outside the small bubble from within the room, hears his heart beat loudly against his chest.

As he slowly backed away from the door, it suddenly opens in a wide arc, sending Luffy's thoughts into a frenzy. From there walked out a face he didn't exactly identify, but as the man looked him straight in the eyes, a past, healthy young face came to mind. Luffy felt his eyes watering, and before he knew it, he had jumped into the blonde's arms, tears of joy and happiness streaming down his reddened cheeks.

"You're _alive?!_" Luffy cries loudly, knowing he's sure to wake up any neighbors, but he's here, he's alive.

Sabo is alive.

All these years of depression and worry and sadness and grief, and even as the became much more apparent in the latest months— he was alive this whole time.

A man walked out from the side of his vision, but he paid little to no attention to the intrusion; his heart and mind were focused on the brother before him, having not leaving him, yet, having not died unlike his other sibling.

"Thank God," Luffy whispers into the strands of blonde atop the older man's head. "Sabo..."

The man ran a comforting hand down the length of his back, sighing. "Yeah, I'm well."

Luffy could barely form coherent words, overwhelmed by the fact he had another sibling, something else to lean on besides himself. Law was there, but...

...Sabo.

He was here. He'd be alright.

Luffy would be okay.

They would be alright.

They would be okay.

It's only for the time to pass, for events to occur, that disturbs such a peace. Such as when Luffy would confront Law over those words within the room. Though it wasn't exactly his main train of thought, what exactly did Law mean, he killed ace? He made no sense, nothing made sense, but Sabo seemed to take all that upon himself as he held his youngest brother there.

If only such an utopia existed when he confronted Law, for surely, the air would not be nearly as smooth.

**•HELLO baby I'm back nearly a month after the last update but not exactly! I hope this is to your liking, and there sadly only a few more chapters left if I hadn't said so already...anyway. Hope you enjoyed this one and see you next time!•**


	12. Tears

**•wow hello it's been forever because things have been getting crazier on my side. Enough about me, however. Who was your day? I hope it was send is, joyful, and hopefully stress free. I hope you enjoy this chapter!•**

_—The sight of sun, grass, leaves, greens, and animals galore astounds the second of the two seeds. The first of the two smiles. 'The storm has passed,' it says. 'Yes,' replies the second, 'indeed it has.'—_

**12\. Tears**

Law feels like there's weight off his chest.

It's only a single day after his appointment with the blonde boy who he found out was Luffy's brother. He wakes up without wishing he didn't for the first time in months. It's been forever since he's felt, in a sense, truly free. He can breathe more fully, and take deeper breaths. It's exhilarating and scary, having the chains around his heart have finally let him go, and Law's nearly drunk on sudden freedom.

The coffee this morning packed a bigger punch, its flavor a bit deeper, its after effects lasting a bit longer. Law loved it, this sudden releasing of the heart. All he had to do was open up. Simply open his mouth and spill the secrets he longed to forever keep locked away in the depths of his soul. Such would not only help himself, but help others, too, in the process. He had never thought of it that way.

The summer school teacher was nearly bouncing in his apartment, smiling and happiness all around, and surely, if he were to have a roommate, they wouldn't be wrong to assume he was still drunk on the nonexistent drink from the previous night. He himself didn't know the exact reason for his energy, but it had something to do with letting go.

Letting go of the guilt, letting go of the pain, throwing it out, letting the air disperse it amongst the appropriate people. He wasn't alone in this searing, sharp, gut-wrenching hurt.

Humming to himself, he grabs his bag, already fully dressed and having eaten, and heads out the door, locking it behind him with a soft click of security. The teacher spares a long side glance at the door not more than five feet away from his own. He even dares to stop, simply staring at the closed piece of wood. He opens his mouth, raises his hand to knock, but decides against it.

Law hasn't said a single word to Luffy since their kiss in his car.

And that hadn't gone well nearly as awkwardly in his head. But now that he had to face the teen in class today, Law wasn't sure what he was going to do. The energy within him quickly disseminated from jittery excitement to queasy nervousness, the emotion pooling in his stomach and staining his cheeks the lightest of all pinks. His movements ceased to be for a moment, before the rational part of his brain screamed at him to move, that he had a job, and that he couldn't be late.

Instead of knocking, he swallows down the greeting which he nearly let loose on the air, mentally kicks himself, and moves on toward the outside, where he could transport himself to his classroom.

Once inside the vehicle, Law pulls out his phone, texting a man in whom he knew would answer within the first minute of pressing send.

_L: hey Shachi _

_Shachi: it's been forever, dumbass._

At that, Law smiles. He really hasn't been keeping in touch with his friends nearly as much as he should be. Maybe he will go out and do something with Shachi as soon as this whole situation was over. Hence, the reason for his delayed social life. Ace, Luffy, Sabo, hell, even Marco, and all the crazy shitty emotions, legal crap, and things of past have pushed every other aspect of his life so far away that he was at the point of forgetting anyone else worried for him except himself. Poor Shachi. Law was even partly surprised he hasn't forgotten Law, either.

_L: sorry, Shachi. I swear I'll make it up to you. My life has become so crazy so quickly._

_Shachi: ...I understand. You're still dealing with that Luffy kid and his brother, right? That's gotta be tough._

_L: you've no clue_

_Shachi: well im here to talk anytime. Literally, whenever, I'm always on my phone_

Law smiles at the warm phone between his hands. Shachi never left him without a chuckle or two leaving him. Whether he rip it through his cold, dead body, or it comes easy, easy enough that one could even call it natural, his old co-worker could and would always make him feel better. Maybe it was the good weather that affected his good mood, and maybe it was his good mood that affected his words.

_L: thanks, Shachi :)_

_Shachi: I'm checking u into the nearest hospital. Trafalgar Law, being thankful? You are dying?_

_Law closes his eyes, taking a content breath of air._

_L: nope. If anything, the exact opposite. _

...

When Luffy comes, he's avoiding eye contact, and a certain part of the older's heart drops. Not that Law was hoping for anything, of course, they had quite a large audience of teens before them. And, just like him, Luffy must be feeling awkward, too. Facing the teacher you kissed after meeting a brother he thought to be dead all his life just yesterday? There probably a war going on in that mind of his.

Law tried his damned hardest not to look at Luffy as much as the other kids, but his grey eyes always seemed to migrate back towards the black haired teen, who lazily glanced at the PowerPoint he had on the board, then to the window, then to his untouched paper before him. At the lack of work ethic, Law tightened his lips, but regardless, his eyes were glued to Luffy. So much so, a girl in front gave him a queer look, turned back to glance at her fellow students, faced him again, and furrowed her brows. Law shot her a glare hard enough to have the threat come across clearly, and she remained seated forward the rest of the class period.

Doflamingo's voice over the intercom came and went long ago, and so did the lecture which Law was teaching that day. It was nearly the end of the summer school, with only three days remaining in the program. The time comes and goes, and Law ps back is to the students when they are dismissed from the clas. Some pack slowly, and other bolt out of the door, as if something were chasing them down the halls of the school. Luffy, however, and Law I would know, is one of the ones taking his time. Yet he isn't exactly slow, he's not nearly the fastest one here.

Law focuses on packing the papers he had returned to him from the students on his desk, busying himself as he watches the teen discreetly from behind a comforting curtain of hair that hangs in front of his face. As the teen gets up, Law turns away from him, getting his bag from the floor. Law feels Luffy's eyes on him for one second, two seconds, three. Then.

He's gone.

Law takes a deep breath of air, pushing back strands of hair. It's no more than a few minutes more that the last student straggles out of his classroom, and the doctor is left alone within the wide space.

Cursing violently, Law sighs. If only he wasn't so awkward, then this whole situation involving Luffy and their kiss would be resolved. Maybe then, once he got over that, he could have the resolve to tell him what he knows about his brother. All those times Luffy had asked, Law never wanted to tell him. The truth was, he was still recovering himself, so what's the point of risking a new injury when the old one hasn't completely healed yet? All that would remain was bigger, more dangerous, and deadlier injury, and soon, the harm done to the body would be irreversible. Law didn't want that, he didn't at all, so after the talk with Sabo, he tried to let go. Luffy's brother had helped more than he ever thought, he really did. And now, he's ready to talk about the subject. But, was Luffy ready to talk to him?

Obviously not.

He'd give the teen his space to recover further from the loss, because there are other, more important, pressing matters to attend to. Law would admit, the decision in the car was something made purely in the heat of the moment, and it was beyond embarrassing, so he could understand Luffy's position very well.

But in the end, there is a dead body, whose past and murder is yet to be completely uncovered by all parties. And it was up to Law to expose what information he holds.

The day turns dark quickly, and it's not long before the gray eyed man is leaving the school once more, bouncing back into his routine, heading for home. Home. Meaning comfort, meaning safety, meaning relaxation. To Law, however, home is a reminder that life can never be all these at once.

—•—

Time flies in a quickened hurry of sorts, coming and going, fleeing from the outstretched hands which tries to grab hold and slow it down. Running and sprinting it goes, and before long, the final day of classes arrives.

It hits Law like a moving train, realizing that this was the last time he could talk to Luffy and have a reason to, for it could concern school. After such a program, however, the only reason to talk to the teen is for personal reasons, and even so, would he be willing to lend him an ear?

Morning is made up of a pink-blue ombré. The sun is blocked by the shadows in the sky, though, showering coldness into the room and dampening Law's spirits. His energy from the previous days were only brimming under the surface. But the excitement was slowly succumbing to being worried over Luffy's not talking to him.

The teen in thought waltzed in, eyeing his teacher casually before taking his seat, pulling out his notebook and taking quick notes. The sudden change in mood concerning schoolwork surprised Law, and if anything, he would say he was proud. Though what spurred the 180 from the first day of school still confused him, Law was happy he was finally taking a liking to his education, and hopefully he would make up for his lost credits.

"Okay," Law announces after the principal's voice floated brought the school over the intercom. He would still have a very harsh word with the man sooner or later. "You guys made it. It's the last day of school all over again."

A collective cheer rises over the students, some even jumping from their seats and pumping an excited fist into the air. A small smile arises upon his lips, and a few girls in front sigh contently. Law raises an eyebrow at them before exhaling. "I understand that you're happy, but there's still the final you have to take."

The wild whooping from within the room relapses into groans and furious curses, some even kicking their chairs or yelling to retort. "Oi," Law hisses, fixing each student with a dangerous, sharp glower. He turns and pulls a tall stack of papers from behind him, and drops it on his desk. Placing his hands on his hips, he says, "I don't want to be here any more than you all do. Trust me. I have my own life, and my own issues, too." At this, Law spares Luffy half a second's eye, and finds those dark, attentive, and wide eyes placed squarely on him. Law gulps, and tries to find words through a dry throat.

"But," the teacher huffs, holding up a single final. "If any of this to count for anything, you've got to get a good grade on this, alright? How about this. When you're done with your exam, you can leave."

The man picks up the stack, placing a large amount on each desk, and instructing the students to pass back the papers. "Not necessarily out of the school, but you're dismissed from my classroom. At least you can get a small taste of summer before your next class. However, whether you want to rush and do poorly or take your time and do well is not my decision."

Once all the health finals were out, the students fell into a monotone silence, pencils scratching against paper, erasers rubbing vigorously against mistakes. The teacher sat bored at his desk, lazily glancing at the pupils before him. His gaze had landed on Luffy and lingered for a bit longer than he would've liked, and when the teen happened to look up once, Law panicked, and he coughed slightly into his sleeve. Luffy jerked his head back downward, and bit down his lips from erupting into a small smile. What was this? What was happening between them? It was a spark of some sort, Law could feel it, but he dared didn't hope. Who knew what was going through the teen's mind at the moment? The teacher, doctor, and neighbor didn't, and he didn't dare to prod unless he was given permission. The man had hurt the smaller boy more than enough, so what right did he have to hurt him more?

The first student, the black haired girl who had walked in on the starting day was finished first, walking up with that same confident air hovering around her. She hands in the final with a frown, narrows her bright blue eyes, and sashays through the door. Numerous students watch her exit, a sense of longing painted on their features. From then in, it was as if a spell that had enchanted the students had been broken. One after the other, every thirty or so seconds, a student would finish, more eager to leave than to turn in their completed final. One nearly sprinted to the door before turning in the assignment, to which Law 'gently' reminded the boy to turn in his damned work.

By the time there were only thirty minutes left on the clock, only five students were left, and Law already partly regrets telling them they could leave. The air in the room was starting to being clammy and confined. Law tapped his finger against his chiseled cheek absentmindedly, scrolling down social media on his phone while keeping an eye out for the last few students.

A boy smiles now, widely, and stands, pulling his final with him. With an upturned, gleeful grin, he places it in front of Law, nods acknowledgement, then walks out with a swagger. Law watches him with annoyed eyes, only to look back up as other remaining students come up as a clique, handing in their tests as one, jogging to meet the first of the group who had waited for them up ahead.

Luffy was the last to remain.

Clearing his throat ungainly, Law watches him. The teen pauses, scratching his head, and scrutinizes the paper below him. The teacher debates the pros and cons of asking him if he needed help, and though it be a final, he would gladly offer it to him. Luffy, he realized, held a special place in his heart. Yes, he was still figuring out exactly where, and yes, it was a rather large chunk.

Law scowls at the wall when he figures he's been staring, and occupies himself with his phone again, lazily scrolling downwards, the occasional post bringing a soft smile to his lips. Minutes of silence seemed to stretch on forever in this state, and it was a good ten minutes until the bell when Luffy finally rose from his seat. He was inching towards they desk slowly, skimming the passages for any mistakes. Law curses his heart as it speeds against his will, each beat painfully louder than the last for every step the dark haired took towards him.

Once standing before the teacher, Luffy puts down the paper, making brief eye contact before straightening again and nodding. Just as he was about to leave, Law jumps up from his chair, annoyance clouding his features. "So. How long do you plan on ignoring me? Or, the other half of the time, when you're glad I kind of, you know, _exist_?"

The young man turns, regarding his teacher with a careless once-over. "I didn't realize my relationship with my teacher, and, excuse me, doctor, was supposed to be so intimate."

"_Intima_— ...does it pain you to address me?" Law shoots, eyes narrowed, a strict glare hiding his hurt. He had dared to hope for more than a casual hello or regard.

Dark irises rolls towards the ceiling before snapping back into place. Luffy walks towards his chair, bends to gather his things from its place on the floor. "Hello, Law," Luffy drawls sarcastically, lips pursing as the frown on the teacher's face deepened.

"That's not fucking funny and you know it," Law spits, face heating against his will. He speed walks towards his student, reaching out and holding the teen on the shoulder, preventing him from taking any step towards the door. "Why have you been avoiding me half the time?"

"I don't know," the boy says with a fake smile smothered across his tired features. He spins, looking Law straight in the eye. "Maybe I had no words to say to someone who made—"

Luffy stops himself, catching his breath in a single swoop, leaving Law's mind strangled amidst an infinite amount of possibilities. Within the older's being, he sensed the need to bring up the conversation between him and his brother, because he still doesn't know that, and to hide things about both brothers from the third isn't right. It isn't right at all.

Luffy deserves to know, and maybe through that, he could tell him about Ace.

"Luffy, about your brother, Sabo," Law begins, searching deep into Luffy's eyes for some sort of life, for some sort of sign, but there's none, or, none he could see, and through the sharp pains of his heart he continues. "He was in my apartment because—"

The bell sounds loud through the near empty room, and Law's mouth shuts close as if on cue, and Luffy narrows his eyes. "What were you about to say?"

"I could say the same. Just...go to class," Law mutters, turning away. At least he would have more time to think of what to say, how to say it, and whether or not one phrase would hurt Luffy's feelings as much as or more than another, so for Luffy to leave would be excellent.

The weight was slowly, slowly coming back, and it wasn't from Ace.

Luffy contemplated the words, worried eyes flashing from the door to the man. "Can we talk after school?" Luffy asks, hushed voice walking gingerly amongst the wind between them, and the teacher sucks in a shaky breath, because finally. Finally, finally, finally.

His thoughts wandered to the last time they talked outside of school, and though his mind screamed rationality, his face heated anyway. "Sure," Law nods, "I, um. My car or the apartment?"

The student conte plates the options, eyes widening as his memories remembered, too. With his cheeks dusted a light pink, he turns, waving off the teacher. "My apartment is fine, I guess," he says, voice strained and weak, yet strong enough to get to Law, so he assumes it's okay, it's alright.

That's what they'll be.

He'll be okay.

He'll alright.

Law'll be okay.

Luffy'll be alright.

—•—

Outside of Luffy's apartment Law stands, and hours have flown by in one second. After he had graded the finals and sent them to his pink coated boss, his journey home was one of deep thinking and contemplation. What was he to say to a teen who had suffered a loss great enough to flip his world upside down? And he held valuable knowledge about that loss. It wasn't fair anymore, it really wasn't. And the time has come to finally set things right.

The man takes a deep gulp of air, running a hand through his thick black locks, worried and nervous and anxious. He wanted to tell Luffy everything, as the place in his heart which prevented him was gone, but it didn't erase his awkwardness around Luffy, especially concerning their strange relationship.

The younger opened the door with a yawn, dark hair sticking up in haphazard angles, rubbing his right eye with the corresponding hand and opening the door with the opposite, and with a voice which screamed 'I just woke up', Luffy says, "Hey." The greeting is soft and gentle, and he looks Law in the eyes, both a good sign, for the teacher had expected otherwise.

He smiles, relieved. "Hello, Luffy. May I come in?"

Luffy nods, humming approval, and widens the door just enough for him to come in, but not enough for Law to avoid the awkward brush of arm against arm, and from such contact, Law's body came on high alert. Luffy simply studies him as the man enters the apartment, which was different from the time he came in originally, the time when he realized Ace had a brother.

He sits on the couch, cleared seemingly for him on one side, with rumpled blue blankets on the other, making a little socket for one to slip in and nap. A smile tugs insistently on Law's lips at the innocent cuteness of it all. Luffy came up behind him, glancing around his frame questioningly. "Is there somethin' amatter?"

Depending on the context of such a question, Law could answer variously. But no, he goes with the usual answer, the non-questionable answer, and throws a small smile in the boy's direction. "I'm fine," he announces softly, planting himself in the spot prepared for him on the couch. Crossing his legs, Law gestures to the spot beside him, smothered in soft blanket. "Here, sit. I've many things to tell you."

"Hell yeah you do," Luffy mutters, finally piped up and attentive, plopping down on the fortress of softness. "I'm tired of constantly beating around the bush with you about my brother, Law."

The man nods slowly. "I...I'm." A gulp, a deep breath of much needed air, oxygen, gas, he inhales the scent of the intensity between them, takes them in, shoves them out, and keeps them there. "I'm sorry... I killed your brother."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Luffy snaps with dangerously narrowed orbs, viciously scouring Law's face for any sort of flaw in the mask of sympathy and regret he wore. "What in the sweet, living _fuck_?"

The boundless energy from only a few days ago had snapped, and the weight was being added back, tripling in consistency, and Law was finding it hard to breathe through the pain his heart was being dealt. He closed his eyes, waiting for the slap that was sure to come, for the retaliation of lying to him all this time, for holding back such precious facts from the only younger sibling his dead brother had for months and months and months on end, and when he revealed it, it was only this. Ugly, disgusting, filthy truth, instead of the diamond jewel of peace or love or whatever Luffy had seemingly expected.

Such a harsh blow did not befall him, but instead a ginger hug, skinny arms attempting to wrap around Law's hunched frame. "I heard your conversation outside your apartment. When Sabo was there? I heard enough to understand."

Surprise filtered through the neighbor's body, and he pulls himself up almost immediately. Luffy did _what_?

"Why do you push all the burden onto yourself?" Luffy sighs, pulling back and looking deeply into the endless depth of dark and gray. "All these times I would go to my fridge and its restocked, the times that I'd wake up and the apartment is magically cleaned, and those times you helped, helped so much. Then there's me, too scared to face reality, and instead I get lost in the labyrinth of the darkness of my mind."

Law nods his acknowledgement of the metaphor. He's been there, he's done that. He knows, he understands.

"So when you push all the blame onto yourself like that, of course I would get angry. Who wouldn't? Have more confidence in yourself, you're okay in my book, you're okay. Not only because of all the things you did for me, but because it was wasn't even your fault. It's that guy, Blackbeard's."

The teacher closes his eyes and turns away, taking in a gulp of oxygen before huffing it via a shaky sigh through his nose. "I've been suffering for a long, long while, Luffy, I've just kept it secret enough that even I myself questioned as to whether or not I felt anything, and once upon a time, I didn't. So of course, all those times when you've asked to talk about Ace, it wasn't nearly as simple as opening my mouth and speaking. It was similar to opening my _soul_, Luffy."

The teen thinks over the words, eyeing the man before him in a new light. Law shakes his head vigorously, and suddenly there's wetness in his eyes. Oh, all the times he could've told Luffy about the hate filled rage he filled himself with, until it consumed his being and any sudden movement would result in a violent madness overcoming him. Oh, all the ways he could've explained his deep and extreme sorrow since the time Ace left him in childhood, since they separated, and how many times his thoughts strolled over to his dearest friend, Ace, and his heart would _heave_. Law tightens his lips, swallowing whatever remaining word he had left to speak, and leans back, staring emptily at the ceiling, his gaze dropping to his side, looking away from Luffy as he desperately tries to blink away the tears. He wasn't going to cry here, not now, he wanted to grieve and think and pretend he was okay in secret, away from people.

Away from Luffy.

But that teen, he's much more perceptive than Law could ever imagine.

The dark haired brings his hand to Law's chin, barely noticing the black stubble which resided there, and tilts the sad man towards him.

Just because he forgave himself doesn't mean he can't _remember_.

Just because he remembered doesn't mean he can't be _sad_.

And just because he's sad doesn't mean he is not _strong_.

Because he was strong enough to hold on to it for so long. For over a _decade_.

Through lidded eyes, Luffy leans forwards and murmurs a hushed, "It's okay," before brushing his lips against Law's, shivering as a jolt of electricity flows through his being. Law, surprise filtering through his mouth, pauses for only a second before closing his eyes, feeling the cold tears curve arcs of liquid into his dark skin. He embraces the other softly, gingerly and carefully, and kisses him as though he could bend with the slightest force. Gives him all the pain, all the frustrating and the strength he had remaining, and presents it to Luffy, unknowing if he would accept it, because it's a new side to the man, and Law didn't know whether or not Luffy would like that, because he was so used to bottling up everything and staying strong that he forgot what it mean to have a moment to look back, relax, and simply rest. To take a break from having to put on such a mask every day for the sake of everyone else, _except_ himself.

It's all lips and gentle squeezes of the arms, and Luffy sighs against the heated skin, humming when Law plants fleeting butterfly kisses on his lips, which migrated to his cheeks, to his temples, to his forehead, to his nose, then back to his mouth. "Thank you," the doctor murmurs between subtle touches of the lips. "Thank you, Luffy."

The teen nods, eyes fluttering open to see the teacher staring at him through eyes which started to twinkle. "It's me who should be thanking you," Luffy responds with a small split of the lips. Yeah, the change will be hard to adjust to. This. Whatever 'they' were, it was something Luffy could defiantly get into. They clicked like mismatched puzzle pieces, pulling each other up as they stumbled under the weight of everything. No, they weren't perfect, but yes, they were sure to improve. They would throw hits, but bandages were sure to come after. They would learn to love all over again, with no setbacks or turn backs, and they would learn to live again.

They pull away, breathing synchronizing, and it was only this moment when they truly understood each other, their situatin, and the scars that were going to remain. Such a precious, peaceful moment, however, was ruined anticlimactically, but it eased the rough tension out of the air, adding a bit of a comical feel. Law smiled awkwardly, digging in his back pocket for his sleek phone, and furrowing his eyes at the screen. It was Sabo.

"It's Sabo," Law reads to Luffy, whose countenance flashes curiosity. "Put him on speaker."

The older complies, pressing the appropriate button. "Hello?"

"Yeah, Law? We found Blackbeard, and it's urgent. Come to my office immediately."

Law and Luffy lock eyes, horrid sickness darkening their expressions at the same time. Law responds hastily. "Yeah, of course, we'll be there."

**•That was a pretty long chapter! Thanks for reading and, unfortunately, the chapter after this is definitely the last one for this story, which is a bummer because I actually greatly enjoyed writing this piece. Especially this chapter just got me into the feel of true OC, if that makes any sense...like the way it's written, I guess. Or maybe it's an author thing. Anyway, please review, fav, follow, all that jazz, and see you in the finale!•**


	13. Our Calendar

**•We're finally here. Hope you all enjoy the finale. C:•**

_—The seeds, finally comfortable and situated, sprout fruitfully, unafraid of the future, confident in the world. Through rain, snow, sleet, or hail, through nature and life and ups and downs; the lake– a heart; the seed– people; and the nature– temperament, would all live in blissfully in peaceful harmony.—_

**13\. Our Calendar**

As the duo reaches Sabo in his office, the initial sight wasn't pretty.

He's there, pacing, talking rapidly on the phone using code words so intricate it sounded like a different language; a hand was dug deep into the hills and valleys of his wavy hair, scratching the scalp for clues, for hints, for any sort of lead. At one point in the mesmerizing process, the blonde stops, withdrawing his hand, and angrily cuts off the person on the phone, flinging the useless piece of tech to his chair. He misses, and the dark rectangle lands with a ominous thump. Cursing, he finally faces the two, wipes his eyes with one hand, and slowly fixes a strained smile upon his features.

"Tough day?" Law asks quietly, taking a seat in front of his cluttered, paper stacked desk, with Luffy plopping down right next to him in silence. The man before them grunts, busying himself with a cup of brewing coffee. "I'll say," he mutters, shrugging his shoulders. "But like I said, I did find a lead. The idiot detective they sent us doesn't know anything about anything...why the hell did they think a new recruit would work the case well? They don't know _shit_."

The men sitting opposite the police officer watched on quietly as Sabo angrily removes the cup from the maker, hastily pouring the dark liquid into a mug before raising the cup to his lips, nursing it gingerly. "We've discovered where this Blackbeard holes himself in. Some cave concealed feel in the mountains off to the Far East. The fact that he targeted this town out of the hundreds on the way here just goes to show how fixated he is on the assassination."

At the word, throats constrict, eyes blink rapidly, and deep breathes are taken, but it's okay, that's okay, because it's over, it'll be over, it's fine now, they have each other, and they can manage.

It'll be okay.

Because it's already getting better.

"Due to your description of the man you gave me earlier, from our talk," Sabo begins, flicking a pair of glasses and placing them delicately upon his face. "We've been able to track down another on the streets who worked under him. We dragged their location for him, which then led to the hideout I previously mentioned."

"While that's good and all," Law begins clearing his throat and casting a side glance at Luffy. "What is the purpose for calling us here?"

Luffy's mouth straightens into a line at that.

Sabo notices the tension about the lips of the younger, and he flashes the teen an easy smile. "Don't worry, I called the two of you to accompany me to the site. We thought it was right for the both of you to be involved, since another one is involved, also."

A bubbling hope rises, a feeling soars, and a guilt is lifted ever so slowly. Things are better. It was going to be alright. The two look at the each other, exchanging smiles, and glance back to the blonde, who stands to answer an incoming phone call. "Hold on," he says, picking up the device with a stressed sigh.

Throughout the duration of the conversation, Law and Luffy look at each other's, and there's smiles and twinkling in the eyes, and there's little bursts of laughter. They were so near to the end. So near to the conclusion of it all, for the constant restlessness in their souls and hearts to terminate once and for all.

Though it might never disappear, at least it could give them some peace of mind, some healing of conscience. And it's this final exchange of internal thoughts that ends the call between Sabo and the other on the end of the phone. "They have found Akainu at the site," he announces, blood draining from the chiseled cheeks upon his face. Slamming the desk angrily, he puts the phone into his back pocket and shrugs on his coat in one graceful movement. "Let's go," Sabo grunts, his wide stride already reaching the door and holding it open for half a second to allow his frame to exit through. The two sitting at his desk are quiet as they slip out after him, hearts in their throats.

—•—

The mountain towered large and prominent over them, casting the entirety of the east into dim shadow. Cool was the breeze that blew, that entangled its invisible grasp into their locks, tugging them behind the bodies they were attached to. A large cave engraved into the mountainside was concealed by the greenery of the leaves and the bending of the trees. Nature lent her beautiful hand in the convenience of such a place. Luffy and Law both swallowed what they could inside their dry throats upon seeing the large uprising of land. Having the reality thrown in their faces, after entertaining the imaginations of it for so long, was, in a word, astonishing.

Inside the cave swarmed many a person donned in dark police uniforms, inspecting the walls, coming out with various objects, huddled in groups discussing their findings, or loading such finds into a black truck with a police logo plastered on its side. Sabo had driven a vehicle similar in size and shape and design, and when they finally alighted upon land, a girl from the side took notice of his arrival. She stopped, faced him, and saluted with a wide beam. The other member of her party paused to copy the action. They turned back to their consuming work, but the girl walked up to Sabo, casting weary glances at the company beside him.

Law returned the look with one of deep-sated annoyance, for this was the woman who interviewed him from what seemed like forever ago. The recognition lighted her face too, as she glanced him over once more before addressing her boss. Luffy leaned over, taking a dislike to the conduct between the two, and whispered, "Do you know that lady, Law?"

Nodding his head, he cuts his gray eyes back towards the animated woman, who chatted with a distinction in her voice. "Unfortunately," he growls, earning yet another glower from her. The look was sharper than her words, for when Sabo inquired her for her dirty study of the men behind him, an awkward smile spread her lips. "Nothing, sir."

Sabo narrowed his eyes in thought, then relented. "Alright, then. Please focus on me. As I was saying before, the Akainu was found half a mile below ground you say? And it was being mass produced?"

Fidgeting, as if such information shouldn't be spoken of in front of the innocent public eye, she sighs, and begins her report. "Yes, sir. As you see, we are in the middle of brining up the remainder of the dangerous drug. I would estimate that about 80% of it all is now above-ground."

Grunting his approval, he places a delicate hand upon his chin. "And what about the people whom inhabited the area? What had become of them?"

"All seen criminals have been arrested and taken to holding cells at the station, sir. We have questioned many of them, who have said there aren't any other members. Once their leader had been captured, many have become compliant and docile."

An easy smile smoothies itself onto Sabo's mouth. "Though I am glad that is what they claim, that might not necessarily be the truth. We shall be on guard for any attacks, or any we encounter. But for now, let us assume all were captured. Continue to explore the area, and bring forth any more Akainu."

As the woman saluted once more and walked away quickly, relaying the information to the other members of the police force, Luffy tugged quickly and softly on the shoulder sleeve of his older brother. "What is it?" Sabo asks gently, though tired.

Luffy doesn't look at the boxes behind his brother being moved as he inquires, "What is this Akainu you guys are talking about?"

Sabo turns to me with wide eyes, eyes which say, 'You never told him?' And to that Law responds with a swift, 'How was I to?' of the eyes. Luffy's open, experienced orbs now landed on the large quantities of boxes with confusion, and Law fought an internal battle of informing him of the happenings, or letting him figure out the sad truth himself. Would Law even entertain the second option? Should he? Could he? Such seemed too wrong, too much for one grieving teen to handle alone. And they had finally gotten closer; ever much closer in the last few hours than in the last few months. Law had a right to tell him, and Luffy had a right to know, he has a right to know everything. And it's this bullshit starting all over again. Law withholding information, and no, never again was he going to go through that hell. He would tell Luffy, and damn the consequences. Law would simply have to be his shoulder to cry on.

But he has paused too long, and Luffy has now gotten nervous. Blinking rapidly, he clears his throat. A darkening of the air around them squeezed the teen's heart, and though he knew to stay strong, this had something to do with his brother, he knew that. He had to stay strong.

But Ace.

"Well?" he continues, and the blonde and black haired don grim faces, until finally, finally, Law broke the nerve racking silence. Nodding once to the police officer, Law took a hold of the smaller boy's wrist and dragged him away from the ruckus, away from the hubbub, and sat him down on a smooth stone near a dead bush. Luffy locks eyes with the man, hoping to read something in those eyes again, but they were that weird stormy gray, when Luffy couldn't make out one damn thing in the mess, and from then he knew, he fucking knew, it was going to be bad.

He steeled his heart for the worst.

Crouching down before him, Law begins. "I don't want to hurt you any more than you have already been."

"Then what about you?" Luffy snaps. "You think it's okay for you, then, to keep it bottled up and not tell anyone else to share the pain with? You're equally at fault here, and you then will equally be in pain. Don't tell me only because I have a right to know. Tell me because you yourself are fucking suffering because of his death, too, and not just me. Tell me because you need someone else to carry the load with you. Tell me because you trust me after all the shit we've been through."

At this Law was shocked. He reeled back, letting the words of his lover sink in, allowing for the terms to finally find their place in his heart, in his soul, in his mind, and after a good minute of sitting and staring into the space of oblivion, Law cracks a small smile.

"You've grown."

"Have I?" Luffy huffs, crossing his arms and glaring at the man. But the action was softened by a small smile of his own, he wasn't grown at all. He was just mirroring the things Law has told him over the course of their time together, just repeating things he's learned about him and about their situation. It wasn't Luffy that was grown. It was Law. And, surely, Law would say the opposite, and, vice versa like that, they fit together in perfect harmony.

Turning towards the finishing of the removal of boxes from below, Law takes a deep breath. "That, over there," he begins, "is Akainu. What killed your brother."

Luffy takes a sudden hold onto Law's hand, wishing and hoping and praying for some stability, and thank God, his world doesn't tilt and fall and break altogether. And then he takes a deep breath. And then it's done. It's over, the information has been sent through his mind, and the worst of it is over. Law calmly waits for the normality to return to his shaking arms, for the wrinkles in his scrunched face to smoothen, and for the deep frown he occupied to vanish. All these occurred within the minute, and Law smiled. He is healing, he is healing!

"Okay," Luffy says confidently. He gave Law permission to go on, which he does.

"According to what my memory serves me, he died the day after I freed him from jail," Law murmurs softly, eyebrow wrinkled in thought. "And seeing as Akainu takes around, oh, twenty four hours to manifest itself and kill the host, the only time it must have been injected into him was—"

"Right after you left him," finishes a voice above them, belonging to Sabo, who brings a hand up in greeting. "Hey. I only caught the last few sentences or so, and I'm here to fill in any missing blanks. We just discovered a sniper gun within the premises, and, after analyzing it, we uncovered its last use the day of your freeing Ace, Law. Fingerprints have been expertly erased from the machine. As to how they accomplished that feat, we've no clue. It must have been shot from a high angle, like a tree, and, with Akainu in, hit him in the chest. But-"

Here he pauses. Takes a deep breath. Continues.

"It's done. We're done. The rest of the place has been cleared out. There are 483 boxes of Akainu. We will take them to a special plant to have them destroyed, and any traces leading to such manufactured items destroyed also. This place will soon be condemned, and another team will come to clean and lock up. Those who have been in cahoots with this Blackbeard are already in jail, and the gang leader himself is doing time for life at Impel Down."

A collective sigh ripples through their beings, for it is done. The power of the police, of those who work together, is brilliant, burning brighter and better than any candle.

"Lastly, there is someone who would like to talk to the both of you," Sabo mentions off handedly, looking behind him with a small smile. Stepping out of the way, a blonde comes forward.

"Marco!" Luffy marvels wth a hint of a grin. Though the teen more than likely forgot their quarrel, Marco has not, and does not greet the smaller with as much enthusiasm. Law narrows his eyes at the man. Sabo urges him to speak, for Marco looked at him uncertainly. Clearing his throat, Marco finally articulates his feelings. "I'm sorry," he confessed condescendingly. "For all I did and what happened in the past."

Silence encompasses the four for many a second, and a sudden tinge of red peeks out from under the light tone of Marco's skin, and to save the man from losing his dignity, Law replies. "It is okay. It is understandable." Luffy nods beside him. "If my lover was dead," Law continues, chuckling at the deepened hue of Marco's cheeks, "I would do the same thing in your position."

"How the hell did you know?" Marco said, awkwardness lifting his voice an octave.

Law shrugged. "I didn't, until now. I had a strong feeling, I could say."

Sabo, who watched the situation unfold with an amused eye, finally clapped his hands in conclusion. "Now that that problem has finally been solved..."

Luffy made a squeak as he found himself head deep inside Sabo's warm embrace. "I love you lil bro," the blonde murmured against Luffy's ear. "And everyday I'm grateful am able to see and talk to you after all these years."

Luffy wraps his arms around the older sibling, a wide grin splitting his face nearly in two. They've been so busy in their lives, they needed something like this once in a while, some break, some relief. "I love you too," replies the younger, and it seems like decades until they split.

Waving their goodbyes, Marco returns with the rest of the group, for he had arrived in a different van. Sabo, Luffy, and Law took one last eyeful of the place, now abandoned, now empty, now without schemes and now without ploys. Devoid of evil and devoid of compliance to the wicked. And with a final bat of the eyelash, the three leave, boarding their van. Not one glanced back, for one does not look to the rough past while at the same time planning for their bright future.

—•—

"You're happy," Law notes plainly, puzzled at the strangely positive behavior the teen was emitting, bouncing around his apartment like a crazed hyena.

From a jump into the air Luffy pauses, turning around slowly, and with wide, open arms. "I don't know why myself, it's like a weight has been lifted off my chest and it's finally letting me live, not just exist."

"Like, you've done to terms with your brother's passing?"

A nod. Another smile. "Something like that. Though something tells me I'll never quite forget him."

"And neither can I," Law says with a form of finality, as if it were a pledge.

"I guess," Luffy starts again, plopping down on the couch and staring at a wall, away from Law. "That it could have something to do with Sabo. Him just, like, reappearing into my life, I guess."

"He came at a good time," Law agrees, sliding down next to Luffy and enjoying his company. Enjoying this talk.

Humming at the statement, the teen opens his mouth once more. "And, well. I guess part of it is because of you."

A warm feeling spreads through Law's chest. He takes the bait, seizes it, makes it his own by asking, "How is that?" in low, gravelly tones.

"Don't make me explain, you ass," Luffy mutters, cheeks burning at the thought of telling Law why him being there made him happy. Why he made Luffy take his mind off things. Made him forget, made him smile. Made him human, made him Luffy.

He was suffering just as Luffy suffered, if not more, and would easily be the crutch for Luffy to lean on, for he was a solid and as hard as a rock. He would look after Luffy, but no one would look after him, and that would fall to being Luffy's job, and oh how they fit. The thought birthed a smile to his countenance, and when curiosity aroused about the expression from Law, the teen shook his head.

A thought came to the younger.

"Let me show you something."

A tug, a pull of the wrist, up from the couch, away, to the kitchen. To the wall. Near the counter where he always kept his pen. Yes, he speciality. Yes, his regularity.

"Is this your calendar?" Law asks, and Luffy nods, all proud.

Luffy takes it down for the first time since he's put it up, and he flips back, back, until February. He allows Law to take in the scribbled handwriting in the dates, and Luffy explains. "Ace and I, we would write down whatever significant happened each day. Because life was too short, and because we should live life to the fullest each day."

Law nods, tracing a finger over the handwriting of his deceased best friend, and Luffy does the same over a different date, feeling the penmanship of a dead brother. Minutes pass.

"What's this one mean?" Law whispers, pointing to the 27th. And Luffy's mind travels back to the time, to the innocent times, when he had only wanted to go for a walk, but came back to the trees in the back being burned, and the hurried rush to go and extinguish the fire. As he tells this story, a laugh bubbles up from inside the both of them.

"Ace must've been a handful," goes Law, wiping a hearty tear from his eye. "Sounds just like him."

"You have no idea," Luffy shakes his head. "The type of shit he put me through back then."

They make it back to the couch, and from thence commenced the swapping of stories about the man who now stays six feet under. Starting from the brother of the boy to the friend of a man, laughter filled the silence and overtook it, until no more of the bright sun shone through the windows. And only until the yellow beam was tinted a warm orange did the laughter begin to fade, leaving two happy smiles in their wake. This was what Ace wanted. Happiness. They've cried enough, they've died enough, they've fought enough.

But as the evening approached so did the darker months of the past, and Luffy seemed calm as he explained what he felt and what he experienced to Law. He was hugging the smaller through the whole reiteration of the ordeal, hushed apologies rolling off his tongue. Luffy shook his head, because it was okay now, and he was better.

Law hums for a little, in thought, then gets up. He goes for the pen Luffy kept safe and brings it over to the calendar on the couch. Turns the calendar to the current date. June 13th. A Saturday. With a careful hand, he draws a heart. "There," Law mutters.

Luffy turns to peck him on the cheeks, eyes glowing. "Thank you."

"Now you know from now on you will never be alone," Law promises, taking a hold of Luffy's hand and kissing it, locking his fiery gaze with the teen's. And what passion, what devotion, what loyalty lay there!

"Ace may be gone, but Sabo is here. I am here. Hell, even Marco is here." Law bites his lips to keep yet another grin down, and his eyes are big and dark and beautiful and blissfully gay. "And it's going to be okay. It is going to be alright. We're going to be okay. We're going to be alright. Yeah, Ace taught me that long ago...but regardless. With Doflamingo and Koala and Marco, with Shachi and Dr. Chopper and those people in your class, with everyone, we can and will pull through."

"Together," Luffy restates firmly. Law nods.

"Then, it can't be my calendar anymore," the younger notes, "it has to be our calendar. We can both start it up again."

"That'd be wonderful," the older says. And together, with each taking his own turn, they sign their name in the heart on the current date. The inscription read:

_Law_

_Luffy_

_Our Calendar_

_Living life anew_

_to the fullest_

**•I was on a mission today to deliver this ending and wowowow I finished! Sorry if some sentences sound weird I finished reading Jane Eyre yesterday. I'm going to miss this one a lot I loved writing it and the emotion and I hope you all liked the ending! Left it kind of up in the air for you all to decipher in your own delicious ways. Hope you all enjoyed that story and look forward to my others!•**


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